The garden strawberry is a low-growing perennial hybrid grown worldwide for its sweet fruit. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and is often grown from runners or crowns.
Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep soil evenly moist, watering at the base to keep fruit and foliage dry.
Soil
Well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile soil or potting mix rich in organic matter.
Temperature
15–25 °C; protect from hard frost below -10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic. Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
as a naturalised artificial hybrid
Climate
temperate
About
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; Fragaria × ananassa) is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus Fragaria, the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated for its aroma, bright red colour, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is eaten either fresh or in prepared foods such as jam, ice cream, and chocolates. Artificial strawberry flavourings and aromas are widely used in commercial products. Botanically, the strawberry is not a berry, but an aggregate accessory fruit. Each apparent 'seed' on the outside of the strawberry is actually an achene, a botanical fruit with a seed inside it.
The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of F. virginiana from eastern North America and F. chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714. Cultivars of F.
Uses
Strawberries were eaten fresh with cream in the time of Thomas Wolsey in the court of King Henry VIII. Strawberries can be frozen or made into jam or preserves, as well as dried and used in prepared foods, such as cereal bars. In the United Kingdom, strawberries and cream is a popular dessert at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Desserts using strawberries include pavlova, fraisier, and strawberry shortcake.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Strawberry by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.