Species Profile: Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

March 17, 2017 / no comments

Despite the recent snowstorm that blanketed much of Southern Ontario, Spring is just around the corner (March 20 to be specific).  What better way to get a glimpse into Spring than to profile one of our favourite early bloomers, Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana).  Wild Strawberry is a flowering herbaceous perennial that blooms in the late spring/early summer and continues to spread by creeping stolons (horizontal stems) all summer.

Fragaria virginiana is typically found in patches in open fields, waste places, and dry openings.  It produces a small, tasty strawberry, which is edible.  The edible “fruit” is actually an aggregate of tiny, hard fruits called achenes, embedded in a fleshy receptacle, where the flower petals attach to the stem. This species is a favourite of many insects, birds, and animals.  The nectar and pollen of the flowers attracts bees, flies, and small butterflies.  It is also common to see robins, pheasants, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice enjoying the tasty fruit.

Fragaria virginiana is an excellent groundcover species providing a wonderful carpet of foliage.  Once established, it has been successful in crowding out weeds and other invasive species, providing year round protection to the soil.  This species does require regular maintenance to remove dieback.  Not only does Fragaira virginiana thrive as a groundcover, it can also be used for border edging, as well as naturalizing and woodland gardens.

This perennial thrives in full to part sun in average moistness, but will not tolerate flooding.

To find out more about the Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) please visit our website at www.swnec.element13.ca.

Six Plants to Cure the Winter Blahs

February 8, 2017 / no comments

February days can have you feeling dull and grey.  Luckily, there are a number of great native plants that can offer you a splash of colour to help cure your winter blahs.  Here are a few of our favourites:

  1. Carex platyphylla – BlBlue Sedgeue Sedge

Keep your shade garden green all year with this fun little sedge. It forms low mounds of bluish green leaves that over-winter, followed by a flush of tiny yellow florets, and bright turquois new leaves in the early spring. Best in dry-medium shade/part shade

  1. Winterberry HollyIlex verticillata – Winterberry Holly

Holly will liven up your winter garden, feeding birds, and adding a burst of red while the berries last. A mature holly can be selectively pruned to provide berry branches to make your own festive decorations!

  1. American SycamorePlatanus occidentalis – American Sycamore

American Sycamore is a cousin of the exotic hybrid London Plane Tree, and shares its characteristic plated, pale bard, peeling off in multi-colored sections, resembling a puzzle or topographical map.

  1. RoundHeaded BushcloverLespedeza capitata – Round-Headed Bushclover

During the summer, this native legume is working hard, fixing soil nitrogen, and feeding solitary bees. In the winter the soft, fuzzy seed heads sway in the wind, on top-heavy stems like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, flinging their seeds one by one. If nothing else, they will make your winter garden a more bizzare and amusing place

  1. Staghorn SumacRhus typhina – Staghorn Sumac

Sumacs need space to realize their true potential. Their widely spreading and colonizing habit make appear architecturally designed, especially in winter when the branches are bare. Sumac berries are a staple mid-winter food for many large birds and small mammals.

6.  Red CedarJuniperus virginiana – Red Cedar

This slender evergreen tree will take some of the harshest upland growing conditions. Red Cedar tolerates drying winter winds, and summer drought. In early winter, its berries are a favorite of Cedar Waxwings, and other songbirds. Planting in staggered rows can provide an ideal wind-break and snow-fence.