Beach strawberry

Year-round

Beach strawberry is a low, evergreen groundcover that spreads by runners and settles in well around Seattle once it has a season to root.

• Give it full sun to light shade. It fills in fastest and flowers most with more sun.
• Use loose, well drained soil. Sandy or gritty ground suits it best and it does not like sitting wet.
• It spreads by rooting runners that touch the soil, so give it room to roam or plan on trimming the edges.
• Divide an older patch every three to four years to keep it vigorous, since younger plants grow fuller and fruit more.
• It is not on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, or horses.

Fall

Fall is planting season for beach strawberry around Seattle, since it goes into the ground right as the rain returns and settles in over the wet months ahead.

• Once the rain comes back, this is a good window to plant new starts outdoors in full sun and loose soil, spaced about ten inches apart.
• The leaves stay on through the cold months since this is an evergreen groundcover, so the bed keeps some green.
• Trim back any runners that crept past the bed edge over summer before they thicken into a solid mat.
• Watch for slugs moving in with the wet weather. They will chew on the leathery leaves.

A quick edge trim in fall keeps the patch tidy and HOA-friendly heading into winter.

Winter

Winter stays mild for beach strawberry around Seattle, and the plant holds onto its leaves and mostly rests while the rain does the watering.

• No extra water is needed most winters since Seattle's rain keeps the soil moist on its own.
• The evergreen leaves can look a little rough after a cold snap, but new growth replaces them once spring arrives.
• A new patch can still go in during winter as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, since planting after the rains start is exactly what this species is used to.
• Hold off on fertilizer for now. Save it for when growth picks back up in spring.

Spring

Spring is when beach strawberry comes back into full growth in the Seattle area, pushing new leaves, white flowers, and fresh runners as the days lengthen.

• New leaves and small white five petal flowers show up as the weather warms, and plants with smaller flowers tend to set more fruit.
• Runners start reaching out across the bed. Let the tips touch soil and they root into new plants on their own.
• A light feeding now helps, since this is the stretch of active growth where the plant can use it most.
• Roots are still shallow on any new planting, so keep an eye on moisture as spring rain lightens up later in the season.

Summer

Summer is Seattle's dry stretch, and beach strawberry handles it well once established, though a plant that went in this year still needs some help.

• Water deeply every week or two if there is no rain, especially for anything planted within the last year.
• An established patch in a sunny or coastal facing spot gets through the dry months with little or no extra water.
• Summer is also a good time to dig up a rooted runner and pot it up if you want to start a new patch elsewhere, keeping it moist until the roots take hold.
• Watch for spider mites in hot, dry, dusty corners of the yard. A hose down of the leaves usually clears them out.