California strawberry

Fragaria vesca

Description

California strawberry is a perennial herb that grows naturally in shaded and winter-moist habitats in coastal and forest environments across the state. It is an attractive ground cover with thin 3-lobed leaves. In the spring it produces small 5-petal white flowers, followed by numerous small edible strawberry-type fruit.

The California strawberry is well suited to understory conditions under established trees. It thrives up against the north side of buildings and in narrow shady side yards. It grows best in loamy soils, with normal winter rainfall and periodic water during the summer. In warm Inland Empire gardens, it should be placed in shaded microclimate areas to keep the foliage from burning by the hot sun. Birds are attracted to its fruit.

Plant Type: Ground cover, Perennial
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Trailing, Spreading
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Bright green
Flower Color: White
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Loam, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Moderate shade, Partial sun
Function: Borders, Small spaces, Wildlife value, Raised planters, Mass planting, Culinary use, Container plant, California native
Height: 2 in. – 8 in.
Width: 2 ft. – 6 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Naturally spreads by “runners” that move along the soil surface, then re-root at “nodes.” Once these nodes have rooted, they can be divided by being dug up and planted elsewhere in the garden, potted, or given away. November is usually a good time to do this (2). Strawberry runners are easy to dig out to prevent them from colonizing anywhere that is not desired, and are generally not considered “invasive” in the garden (S). References