More variety descriptions have recently been added and
more will be added soon.. We have tons of pictures and observations
but not a lot of time.
'Mignonette'
Click
Here for a picture of the Plant |
'Mignonette' produces
scarlet red fruit that has an intense 'wild' aroma.
Let a few ripe fruit sit in a bowl in a room and before
long you'll notice the heavenly scent. This is my favorite
variety and the one that's said to be put into champagne
to flavor it. The plants do not runner and are strong
growers and have been hardy in my zone 7 even without
winter protection. Plants given the space and full sun
will be more than 18" across and 12" tall.
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'Regina'
Click Image for Another View |
'Regina' is the English name for Regina
delle Valli and Reine des Vallees. Regina
delle Valli is the Italian name while Reine des
Vallees is the French name. This variety is the
European standard for commercial production and
for home gardens. The variety is very difficult
to find in North America.
The fruit is red and the plants are vigorous. We
have evaluated production but do not have the results
analized at this time (Nov 2008). Now that we have
a plentiful supply we will be testing it extensively
in the future. This variety is highly recommended
based on wide scale use in Europe.
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'Yellow Delight' |
'Yellow Delight' seed are nearly impossible
to find. I had some old seed from 2002 and seeded
it in 2007. The germination was around 50% which was
higher than expected.
Fruit have a mild flavor and aroma, not as intense
as 'Mignonette'. The fruit seems to "melt in
your mouth" in a way. One huge advantage is that
the birds don't seem to be attracted to the yellow
varieties. The plants do not runner and are strong
growers that can get every bit as large as 'Mignonette'
given the room to grow. I've had plants survive over
the winter many times without winter protection in
my zone 7.
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'Alexandria' |
'Alexandria' fruit
does not tend to be deep scarlet color when fully ripe.
It is a dark red typically. This variety has produced
the most fruits and the highest total weight for the
season so far (up to early June 2007). The plants tend
to be larger than 'Mignonette' and are hardy to my zone
7 without winter protection. The plants don't runner.
My recommendation is to space the plants at least 18"
apart or use a very large container for maximum production.
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'Pineapple Crush' |
'Pineapple Crush'
does have a hint of pineapple flavor as its name implies.
This variety seems to be hard to find and is available
from few sources. The fruit seem to be more yellow than
some of the other yellow varieties. When the fruit is
ripe the seeds have a light green color but tend to
darken as they dry. The fruit is indeed tasty and "melts
in your mouth" when fully ripe. The plants seem
to be productive and hardy but not real large like 'Alexandria'.
We evaluated production in the spring of 2008 but have
not had time yet to analize the results. This variety
has the potential to be highly productive based on observations
of the fruit load and growth. The taste is very sweet
with a hint of pineapple. It is becoming one of my favorites. |
'Golden Alexandria'
Click Thumbnail for larger view
'Golden Alexandria'
Click Thumbnail for larger view
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'Golden Alexandria'
fruit are red which contrasts sharply with the foliage
color. Foliage ranges from lime green to yellowish green.
I'm not yet sure if sunlight intensity effects foliage
color. It's easy to find the ripe red fruit in the canopy
of the plant because of the colors. The fruit color
and shape seem to be similar to 'Mignonette'. The plants
seem to be hardy but I believe due to the leaf color
don't grow as fast as their green leafed companions.
This can be important when trying to grow plants large
enough in the fall to survive the winter. I had one
plant that was on the small side in the fall going into
winter and it struggled to get started growing the next
spring. Seedlings also don't seem to be as vigorous
as other varieties. I think all of these characteristics
are related to leaf color and the photosynthesis process. |
'Yellow Wonder'
Click Thumbnail for larger view |
'Yellow Wonder' is very similar to 'Yellow
Delight'. I tested the two varieties together in the
spring of 2008 but have not yet analized the results.
In single plant trials in 2007 this variety is among
the most productive varieties, very close in production
to 'Alexandria'. The fruit is very tasty with the
"melt in your mouth" flavor and a strong
aroma.
The BEST thing about this variety and other yellow/white
varieties is that the birds leave them alone. This
variety is one of the key varieties in our fruit production
program. I would have to say that after 'Mignonette',
this is likely my second favorite variety.
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'Fragola di Bosco'
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'Fragola di Bosco' is an Italian alpine strawberry.
I read that the Italians have about 50 acres of alpines
under cultivation and for years I was not interested
in this variety. I don't know why though.
I bought some seed last year and so far have been
impressed with this cultivar. The plants seem to be
very vigorous and start producing quickly. The fruit
are of nice size and seem to have a slightly different
taste than varieties like 'Mignonette'. Not different
bad, just different and hard to explain. A pleasant
taste and truly a fraises des bois taste. It might
be me but the fruit does seem to be more delicate
than other varieties - if that's possible. They do
seem to be softer and more easily crushed. So many
of them go directly from the plant to my mouth that
it's difficult to say such things with certainty!!!
I think you'll be pleased with this variety. I don't
think I would recommend it above others, but if you're
growing and taste testing red cultivars of alpine
strawberries, this one should be included.
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'New Giant'
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'New Giant' is a new variety for me this season
(2007). It was started from seed. This is one of the
first fruit obtained so it's not the best one. It
wasn't completely ripe yet. Most of the plants produced
runners but two didn't. This may be due to variation
from seed. I'm assuming that it's a runnering variety
though I don't have much information from the source
on this. The plants are vigorous but as yet have not
produced a lot of fruit. Since it's a runnering variety
I will probably not enter this variety into 2008 production
trials. Rather, I'll continue to observe it to see
if there is reason to test it in the future.
BTW: I just ran across a reference to this variety.
The reference says that it is an improved cultivar
of 'Ruegen', but that doesn't explain the runners.
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'White Delight' |
'Alba' also known as 'Fructu-Alba'
and 'White Delight' is different than any white
fruiting variety that I ever grew. It does produce
runners and grows strongly. Fruit color is slightly
different than the yellows and is closer to a white
color as it's name implies. The plants tend to grow
quickly but interestingly 'cut out' late in the season.
In early September of 2007 I noticed leaves starting
to die back. I suspected root rot but upon examining
the roots, no root rot was indicated. The whole block
of plants tended to die back at the same time. I have
asked several experts but have not received a response.
I suspect that this variety has tendencies toward
being a "June Bearer" but the verdict is
still out on that.
The fruit has the same terrific taste that one
would expect but I have not tested it extensively
enough to point out other attributes.
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'White Solemacher'
Click the Image for another
View |
'White Solemacher' is the white version
of 'Baron Solemacher'. It is mentioned in online
literature but until now has not been available
in North America and I can't even find it in Europe.
The Solemachers are German varieties. It is mentioned
in the literature that red 'Baron Solemacher' is
the same as 'Reine des Vallées' which is the most
common variety in Europe as I understand it. We
have since found 'Regina' (discussed above) which
is more likely to be 'Regine des Vallees'.
We have not had this variety for long so we don't
know a lot about it's flavor or growth patterns.
I appears to be very similar to 'Baron Solemacher'
in growth and fruit size. The color is of course
white for the fruit and it does seem a little sweeter
than the red. It will be extensively testing in
coming years and we'll report on those results when
they're available.
The fruit at the left is not yet mature. That is
the reason we did not pick it. It "plumps up"
when ripe.
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'Ivory'
Click the Image
for another View |
'Ivory' is a very surprising
variety. The fruit are white and seem to have a stronger
aroma than other varieties. It is also very productive.
We plan tests with it in 2009 but so far I'm impressed
with this new variety. The plants are strong growers
and it's now August and we're getting a lot of fruit
from this variety. I hope it holds up next summer
as well.
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'Holiday'
Click the Image for another
View |
'Holiday' is a new yellow fruiting
variety that we acquired from Eastern Europe. So far
we don't know a lot about it but the plants are doing
well in the heat (it's now August 2008) and producing
some but not a lot. This is understandable in the
heat of summer. The picture of the fruit at the left
is still on the plant and not quite ripe. It will
"plump up" some when it is fully ripe.
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'Frost King'
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View
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'Frost King' is a very interesting variety.
The plants produce runners and is a short day variety
meaning that it produces fruit in the spring only.
We don't have a handle on production yet. The fruit
is especially sweet though smaller than the fruit
of some other varieties. The shape of the fruit is
also different.as can be seen in the image at the
left. We are not currently offering this variety either
as seeds or as plants but are increasing out stock
to offer it in the future.
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'Variegata'
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View |
'Variegata' is a variegated leaf variety
that we've played around with for some time. We tried
growing it in full sun and it burns up. One introduction
that we had a couple of years ago didn't survive our
winter here in Zone 7. We continue to test it but
now only in a shady spot. Honestly, we have never
had one of these produce fruit but I'm told that the
fruit is red. The foliage color alone is a good reason
to keep trying with this variety and the fruit would
be a nice bonus. We will write more about this variety
when we know a little more about it. For now, we have
only a few plants so we won't be offering them for
sale any time soon.
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'Snow King'
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View |
'Snow King'
suprised us. We expected the fruit to be white but the
image at the left shows that assumption to be wrong.
We don't know a lot about this variety yet and are not
offering it at this time either as seeds or plants.
More will be reported about it as time goes on. |
