Strawberry plants with red flowers | Grow Guide

Strawberry plants with red flowers are beautiful, easy to grow and grow delicious fruit. These plants with red flowers were created by mixing original white flowered strawberries with a rose relative. They are easy to grow in pots, raised garden beds or in your vegetable garden.

This guide has will explore how to plant and successfully grow strawberry plants with red flowers. Find out where to plant them, how big they grow and how to protect them from frost.

Strawberries with red flowers – What are they?

Strawberry plants with red flowers are easy to find from nurseries in spring. They will be grown as small seedlings a few inches high. I have recently bought a new red flowering strawberry plant that is called ‘Strawberry Summer Breeze’.

Red flowering strawberries were bred by mixing together the original white flowering strawberry with a plant called ‘Potentilla palustris’ which has red flowers. This plant was then bred back again with other strawberry varieties and now there are a range of red flowering strawberry plants available.

• Strawberry Fragoo Red
• Berried Treasure Red
• Lipstick
• Strawberry summer breeze red, (Fragaria x ananassa)

Red Flowering Strawberry – Summer Breeze Red

My red strawberry grows to a height of 8 inches and spreads to around 12 inches. These are fast growing and can grow fruit within around 8 weeks after planting. These plants do not send out runners as quickly as other strawberry plants so are perfect for planting in pots.

If your plant does send out runners in spring you can trim them off and let the plant focus its energy on growing the beautiful red flowers and establishing its roots in the first year.

You can then let the plant send out runners in the second year and grow some new plants for free.

Guide to planting red flowering strawberries

There are a few tips to successfully planting and growing strawberries with red flowers in your own yard. Here are my tips to grow lots of red flowers and delicious strawberries in summer.

Where to plant red flowering strawberries

Red flowering strawberries, no matter what type you choose love full sun. This will encourage more bright red flowers, increase the pollination rate and give you more strawberries in summer.

I have found that bees will visit strawberry flowers that are grown in full sun more often than those in shade. I have strawberries growing in both full sun and shade and those in sun are definitely more successfully pollinated.

Red flowering strawberry plants are perfect for pots. They will have beautiful high growing flowers and fruit that will drape over the side of the pot. This will look beautiful and make the perfect plant for hanging pots.

I have lots of strawberry plants growing in raised garden beds and red flowering strawberries will thrive there too. They can also be used in your garden beds as a beautiful border because of their beautiful flowers.

Mulching for red flowering strawberries

Mulching is important for red flowering strawberries planted in garden beds. Mulch will help to raise the strawberries off the soil and avoid pests. Straw mulch, sugar cane or fine bark mulch are perfect for red flowering strawberries and will help to keep the soil moist for longer.

Red flowering strawberries will thrive when watered regularly. The mulch will help to keep the water in the soil for longer and reduce the amount of water you will actually need to give.

Fertilizing red flowering strawberries

There are two main times to fertilize red flowering strawberries to grow more flowers and more strawberries. When you plant them out in spring, add some pelleted chicken manure. This is higher in nitrogen and help the plant to establish.

In later spring or early summer, add a higher potassium fertilizer or a fruit promoting fertilizer. This will help fruit to grow large and delicious. There are organic forms of this fruit promoting fertilizer that has a higher ratio of potassium.

Pests and diseases on red flowering strawberries

All strawberries including those with red flowers can be affected by pests and diseases on occasions. The most common pests for strawberries that I have experienced include spider mites or aphids.

Neem oil is an easy way to treat aphids or you can give them a quick squirt with a hose and a dilute mix of detergent and water.

Protect red flowering strawberries from frosts

The other key to successfully growing red flowering strawberries is to protect them from spring frosts. Planting them in spring is a great idea but there is the risk that they can be affected by frost.

Red flowering strawberries are frost sensitive so if you think that a frost will hit you should take action to protect strawberries out in an open area. Placing 3 small stakes around the plant and placing a clear plastic bag over the top will stop the frost from settling on top of the plant.

Place straw around and even slightly over the plant to trap any heat in the soil. This will also help to protect the plant from frost.

Red flowering strawberries planted in pots are easier to protect from frosts as they can be moved int a protected area on cold nights. I have placed my potted strawberry near a garden wall which will radiate extra heat from the sun and hold it during the night to prevent frost.

Strawberry plants with red flowers | Summary

Strawberry plants with red flowers are the perfect mix between a productive plant with feature flowers. They can be planted in a pot, hanging basket, used as a garden border or planted in your vegetable garden.

Mulch is key for successfully growing strawberries as it will keep them moist for longer and keep the strawberries off the soil. Red flowering strawberries are a perfect feature for your garden and definitely worth trying this spring.

Happy gardening.