Fragaria

Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. commonly known as strawberry. There are more than twenty species. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the garden strawberry, a hybrid known as Fragaria × ananassa. Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar and ranges from sweet to tart. Strawberries are widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.

When I bought the Rhubarb crown I ordered fifteen strawberry crowns. The variety is Hapil and I am hoping for a harvest of large juicy fruit in the Summer. I have grown strawberries off and on for years but have never tried this variety before.

Fragaria x ananassa Hapil is a Belgium bred strawberry that bears heavy crops of orange/red berries with a good flavour. I have given the roots of the plants a dusting of mycorrhizal fungi powder and potted up into multi purpose compost. Having watered well I have topped off with Strulch, a straw based mulch, to try and ward off the slugs who seem to like the fresh new green leaves. During the fruiting season place a protective collar of dry straw around to keep the strawberries clean. Remember to grow on some of the runners as strawberry plants usually only last well for about three years.