Many strawberry plants have pink flowers including Pink Panda, Lipstick, Roseberry and Rosalyne. These are modern hybrid strawberries which have been crossed to produce beautiful pink flowers and delicious fruit. Strawberry plants with pink flowers look great in hanging pots and will produce food for your family.
Why pink flowering strawberries are great
There are lots of reasons why pink flowering strawberries are a great choice for your backyard. Here are some of my top reasons to try a pink flowering strawberry plant at home.
1. They look great
Hybrid strawberries that produce both beautiful flowers and delicious fruit can form a stunning display. Plant them in a windowsill, hanging basket or raised garden bed to allow the beautiful flowers to bloom and the strawberries to hang over the edge.
This has the added benefit of protecting the strawberries from bugs as they hang out of reach, reducing the chance of bites being taken out of them. Strawberries with pink flowers can be grown just for their flower display and the strawberries are a bonus.
2. They attract pollinators
Planting pink flowering strawberries in your vegetable garden, on the edge of garden beds or as a display in pots can help to attract pollinators. Bees love strawberry flowers and will visit to collect the sweet nectar to bring back to their hive.
Pollinating insects will then be more likely to visit your other flowering and fruiting trees including citrus, apples as well as tomatoes and peppers. Attracting bees to your garden is beneficial for your own fruit production as well as supporting the local bee population which are quickly running out of food sources.
Plant some pink flowering strawberries to feed bees and to encourage pollination of fruit in your garden.
3. They grow great strawberries
Modern pink flowering strawberries have been bred to grow large and delicious strawberries. These strawberries are sweet and juicy and are perfect for eating fresh or making into jam.
While each strawberry variety will vary in size and shape but they are all delicious. Modern tastes call for large, sweet strawberries and pink flowering varieties will definitely deliver.
How to grow pink flowering strawberries
Here are the top tips to successfully plant and grow pink flowering strawberries.
1. Plant in Fall in sub-tropical areas or early spring in cold areas
Planting out pink flowering strawberries in Fall if you live in warmer areas is the best idea. The mild winters will allow the strawberry to establish its roots, stems and to settle into the soil. The plant may even send out runners over winter which will stick into the ground and create new plants.
For colder areas plant pink flowering strawberry plants in early spring. This warm weather will be perfect to allow the plant to establish its root system ready to produce pink flowers in late Spring or early Summer.
Make sure you plant the strawberry with the crown or center above the soil level. If this is planted too deeply the center of the plant can rot and your strawberry can die.
2. Improve the soil with compost and cow manure
Planting pink flowering strawberries into the best soil possible will give you lots of flowers and fruit. Always improve the soil first with compost, aged cow manure and pelleted chicken manure. Dig all of these ingredients into the soil and make a small hole for your strawberry plant.
3. Mulch your strawberries well
Mulching is an important step for healthy pink strawberry plants. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch will help to keep soil moisture in and protect your strawberries from bugs. Mulch will also reduce weed growth and competition for water and nutrients.
The best mulch for strawberries is straw or sugar cane mulch as it drains well and will break down to improve the soil. Other mulch options include bark mulch or even fall leaves which are completely free and will break down to feed the worms in the soil.
Combine mulch types and even lay a few layers of newspaper down first to keep weeds away for even longer. A mix of bark mulch and straw will make a fantastic mulch layer for pink flowering strawberries giving them the best chance to produce a load of blooms.
Strawberry varieties with pink flowers
There are many varieties of strawberries that have been bred to have pink flowers. Here are some great varieties to look out for in your local nursery:
- Pink Panda
- Lipstick
- Roseberry
- Rosalyne
- Tristan
- Tarpan Hybrid
- Rainbow Treasure
- Berries Galore Rose
- Toscana
- Roman pink
- Nellie Kelly
Can you get a white flowering strawberry plant to grow pink flowers?
After getting excited about pink flowering strawberries you may be wondering if you can get your white flowering strawberry plant to turn pink. Many strawberry plants will grow flowers that range from white to light pink but those that grow dark pink or red flowers are specially grown so you can’t get a regular plant to change flower color.
I have a Nellie Kelly strawberry plant which grows beautiful light pink flowers. The flowers are usually a similar color and it is their first year of growing strawberries. White flowering strawberry plants will usually stay white but can produce dark red fruit which is still delicious.
Can you eat first year pink flowering strawberries?
Many people want to know if you can eat first year strawberries and the answer is simply yes. Fist year strawberries will taste just like any strawberries the only difference is that you can expect less strawberries in your first year.
Many people will pick off the first year of flowers to allow the strawberry plant to put more energy into growing strong roots and stems. This is actually a good idea but I never do this and can’t resist letting my plant grow flowers and strawberries as soon as possible.
Strawberries with pink flowers | Summary
Strawberries with pink flowers look amazing and grow delicious strawberries so you get the best of both worlds. Improving the soil before planting these strawberries out will give you the best chance of growing lots of pink flowers and establishing a healthy plant.
If you are struggling to grow strawberries on your plant, check out my previous article here: No fruit on strawberry plants | 9 Reasons Why.
For the best companion plants for your strawberries, find out more in this article: Strawberry Companion Plants | Best Vegetables, Herbs + Flowers.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.