Woodland strawberry

Fragaria vesca

The original fraise des bois: tiny, perfumed berries all summer on a tidy, runnering carpet.

Type: groundcover · berries and small fruit
Hardiness: zones 3 to 8
Light: part shade
Size: about 0.5 ft tall, 1 ft wide
Harvest: June to August
From: Europe and northern Asia
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, wildlife.

Native to: Temperate Europe, Northern Europe & the taiga, Mediterranean, Atlantic islands (Macaronesia). Hardy in zones 3 to 8.

The story

The woodland strawberry was eaten by the Romans and grown in medieval monastery gardens, and Linnaeus is said to have cured his gout with it; the alpine, runnerless form from the Alps became the fraise des bois of French pastry.

Planting

Part shade or sun, moist drained soil; plant in spring or sow seed, 10 inches apart. Alpine types stay in clumps; wild types run.

Growing

Water in dry spells, mulch, and divide every few years. Feed lightly with compost.

Harvest and use

Small, intensely fragrant berries from early summer to frost on alpine types; pick daily and eat at once.

What to watch for

Slugs, birds, and drought.

See if Woodland strawberry fits your yard
Free planner: enter your ZIP for frost dates, climate fit and a sowing calendar. No account, no ads, no tracking cookies.

More berries and small fruit

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home