Appalachian Barren Strawberry
Waldsteinia fragarioides
Bright yellow spring flowers over glossy strawberry-like leaves, semi-evergreen for year-round cover. One of the best groundcovers for dry shade.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Maintenance-free evergreen groundcover for dry shade that lights up in spring with yellow flowers.
Appalachian barren strawberry is one of the best native groundcovers for dry shade. The trifoliate leaves look exactly like wild strawberry, glossy, toothed, attractive, but the plant makes no edible fruit. What it does make, from April through May, are cheerful bright yellow five-petaled flowers that rise just above the foliage, catching any available light under a canopy. The foliage is semi-evergreen to evergreen in mild winters, providing year-round cover. It spreads by runners and stolons at a measured pace, gradually filling in the ground layer between trees without ever becoming a problem. An understated workhorse for difficult dry-shade situations under mature oaks and hickories where little else will thrive. Once established, it essentially disappears from the maintenance list.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown appalachian barren strawberry propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant appalachian barren strawberry instead of English ivy (Hedera helix) and vinca under trees. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 4–8 in · 12–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- April–May
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Nova Scotia south to Georgia and west to Minnesota, in dry to moist woodland and rocky slopes
Care notes for appalachian barren strawberry.
Part sun to full shade in dry to average, well-drained soil. Excellent in dry shade under trees. Allow to spread naturally by runners. No deadheading required. Cut back any winter-damaged foliage in early spring. Virtually maintenance-free once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside appalachian barren strawberry.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.