Open Grow Guide

Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Formerly Fragaria sylvestris, Fragaria californica, Fragaria elatior

By Open Grow Guide Updated

Give woodland strawberry part shade, with full shade also listed, and keep its soil in the medium to wet range. It is hardy in USDA zones 4a to 9b. It is a spreading herbaceous perennial. Toxicity to cats and dogs is not documented for this plant on this page.

woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), whole plant
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Lake Bockwitz, Saxony, Germany

Photo: Jörg Hempel, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts

Each value is the cited value from the sources listed at the end of this page.
Light Part shade and full shade (part shade preferred)12
Water Medium to wet11 source
Soil Moist and occasionally wet11 source
Hardiness Zones 4a–9b31 source
Size 0.7–0.8 ft (0.2–0.25 m) × 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m)156
Growth rate Rapid61 source
Bloom Apr–Jun, White711 source
Cats Not documented by major sources
Dogs Not documented by major sources
Native range ABT, ALB, ALT, ARI, AUT, AZO, BGM, BLR, BLT, BRC, BRY, BUL, CAL, CHX, CNT, COL, COR, CZE, DEN, FIN, FRA, GER, GRB, GRC, GUA, HUN, ICE, IDA, ILL, INI, IOW, IRE, IRK, IRN, ITA, KAZ, KGZ, KRA, KRY, LBS, MAI, MAN, MAS, MDR, MIC, MIN, MNT, MSI, MXC, MXE, MXG, MXN, MXS, NCA, NCS, NDA, NEB, NET, NFL, NOR, NSC, NWH, NWM, NWT, NWY, OHI, ONT, ORE, PEN, POL, POR, QUE, ROM, RUC, RUE, RUN, RUS, RUW, SAR, SAS, SDA, SIC, SPA, SWE, SWI, TCS, TEX, TUE, TUR, TVA, UKR, UTA, VER, VRG, WAS, WIS, WSB, WVA, WYO, YUG8
Family Rosaceae

How much light does a Woodland Strawberry need?

Outdoors, woodland strawberry does best in part shade, which is the preferred setting listed for it. Full shade is also listed as an acceptable light level. Both settings sit at the shady end of the scale, and full sun is not among the listed conditions. Its flowers are white, and bloom time runs from April to June depending on where in its range the plants grow.

  • LightPart shade and full shade (part shade preferred)12

How often to water a Woodland Strawberry

Woodland strawberry needs medium to wet conditions, and its listed soil moisture runs from moist to wet. Soil that is occasionally wet also falls within the drainage conditions listed for it. It is a rapid grower with a spreading habit. Plants reach a spread of 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) across.

  • WaterMedium to wet1

Best soil for a Woodland Strawberry

Woodland strawberry is listed for moist and occasionally wet soil drainage. Dry drainage is not among the listed conditions. Its water need runs from medium to wet, and its soil moisture is recorded as moist and wet. Occasionally wet soil is one of its two listed drainage conditions, alongside moist. It is a herbaceous perennial with a spreading habit. Soil pH is not documented for this page, so no pH range is given here. The plant is native to the lower 48 US states and introduced in Hawaii.

  • Soil drainageMoist and occasionally wet1

Hardiness and temperature

The listed hardiness range for woodland strawberry is Zones 4a–9b. At one edge sits zone 4a, and at the other edge sits zone 9b. A gardener in zone 4 and a gardener in zone 9 both fall inside the listed range. It is a herbaceous perennial.

  • HardinessZones 4a–9b3

How to plant a Woodland Strawberry

Plant woodland strawberry in USDA zones 4a to 9b. Allow 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) of spread for each plant. Choose a part shade spot, since full shade is also listed. Expect a mature height of 0.7–0.8 ft (0.2–0.25 m). The soil it is listed for is moist and occasionally wet. It is native to the lower 48 US states and introduced in Hawaii.

  • HardinessZones 4a–9b3

Winter care

Woodland strawberry is listed for USDA Zones 4a–9b. Zone 4a marks the cold end of that listing, and zone 9b marks the warm end. Winters in zone 4a are the coldest the listing covers. Winters in zone 9b are the mildest it covers. The plant is a herbaceous perennial.

  • HardinessZones 4a–9b3

How to propagate a Woodland Strawberry

You can propagate woodland strawberry by seed or by layering. Plants grown from seed can either produce runners or not. Seed and layering are the two propagation methods listed for this plant. Its habit is listed as spreading, and its growth rate as rapid. The mature spread is 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m).

  • PropagationSeed and layering2

Common problems

Strawberry bud weevil, melon thrips and stem nematode are the pests listed for woodland strawberry. The diseases listed are strawberry vein banding virus, strawberry marginal chlorosis and strawberry witches broom. Its listed disease name is strawberry witches' broom phytoplasma. In all, three pests and three diseases are listed.

  • Common pestsstrawberry bud weevil, melon thrips and stem nematode444
  • Common diseasesstrawberry vein banding virus, strawberry marginal chlorosis and strawberry witches broom44
Pests and diseases recorded for this plant by the sources listed at the end of this page.
ProblemKind
Strawberry bud weevil Pest
Melon thrips Pest
Stem nematode Pest
Strawberry vein banding virus Disease
Strawberry marginal chlorosis Disease
Strawberry witches broom Disease

Is Woodland Strawberry toxic to cats and dogs?

Not documented by major sources Not documented by major sources

Recommended supplies

  • Soil: a mix that holds moisture without staying wet.

Questions and answers

What light does woodland strawberry need?
It prefers part shade outdoors, and full shade is also listed. Those are the only two light levels listed for it. Its flowers are white.
How much water does woodland strawberry need?
Its water need is listed as medium to wet. Soil drainage is listed as moist and occasionally wet. It is a rapid grower with a spreading habit.
Which hardiness zones suit woodland strawberry?
The listed range is USDA Zones 4a–9b. That range covers zone 4a at the cold end and zone 9b at the warm end. The plant is a herbaceous perennial.

Sources

  1. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRVE. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  2. University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/gardening-in-minnesota/growing-strawberries-in-the-home-garden. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  3. Chicago Botanic Garden. https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/fragaria-vesca-alexandria-alexandria-alpine-strawberry. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  4. EPPO Global Database. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/FRAVE/pests. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  5. Oregon State University Extension Service. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-1577-gardening-oregon-native-plants-west-cascades. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  6. Oregon State University Extension Service. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gallery/fire-resistant-plant-profiles-groundcovers. Accessed 12 October 2026.
  7. USDA Forest Service (Plant of the Week). https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/fragaria_vesca.shtml. Accessed 31 October 2026.
  8. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (World Checklist of Vascular Plants). https://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/wcvp.zip. Accessed 4 June 2026.

How this page was made

  • Written with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. AI is never the source of a fact.

How we work

Part of

Similar plants

Grows in these zones