Strawberry, Lipstick

Description

Extremely showy, adaptable groundcover that rewards you with bright red flowers. This gently spreading perennial produces small shiny fruit but is prized for its ornamental value. Ideal for borders or stabilizing embankments, but also makes an excellent patio tub plant.Thrives in average to lean soils. Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. As a groundcover, space plants 2 ft. to 3 ft. apart, (closer for faster coverage). Control weeds with mulch until the plants cover the area.An ideal groundcover under the canopies of flowering trees. Also provides good cover and greenery for small planters in part shade. Good groundcover for banks due to its spreading and self-rooting growth habit. Also found in rock gardens and where soils are thin or exceptionally poor. Can be mowed if foliage needs rejuvenating. This variety is a hybrid of the original species, Fragaria chiloensis, a plant native to the Americas. It is found from Alaska south through California and again in Chile. The genus is from the Latin for fragrance, to describe the scent of flowers of the European species. This species was classified by the 18th century French expert on strawberries, Antoine Duchesne.