Alpine Strawberry

How to grow Alpine Strawberry

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in autumn or spring, 25–30 cm apart, with the crown level with the soil surface — buried crowns rot. It makes an excellent edging or groundcover along a shady path, and does well in containers and window boxes. Unlike garden strawberries it fruits over a long season rather than in one flush.

Pruning

Tidy off dead and tatty leaves in late winter. Alpine varieties produce few or no runners; the wild species runs freely, so remove runners if you want it to stay put.

Propagation

Peg down runners into small pots in summer and sever once rooted. Alpine forms come true from seed sown in spring, though germination is slow and needs light — surface-sow and do not cover.

Pests and diseases

Grey mould spoils fruit in wet weather. Vine weevil grubs eat the roots of container-grown plants, causing sudden collapse. Slugs and birds take ripe fruit, though the small berries attract less bird attention than large ones.

Value to wildlife

Early flowers provide nectar for solitary bees and hoverflies, and the fruit is taken by birds and small mammals.

Notes

The berries are small, and yields are modest by any practical measure — grow it for the flavour and the long picking season, not for volume. Replace or divide plants every three or four years, as they become woody and unproductive.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Fragaria vesca but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Fragaria