Dreaming of a fruitful summer
The ‘Scarlet Beauty’ alpine strawberries have romped over the ground and are already in bloom
The Sylvanberries are already in bud. This is my favourite hybrid berry and is Australian in origin but descended from the American Marion berry. I grow it back in the UK but brought some rooted cuttings over in 2013. They were planted out in spring 2014, the new canes trained in in autumn 2014. They ripen earlier than most hybrid berries, usually in July. They are really delicious but the plants are ridiculously prickly!
Beds with autumn-raspberries in the foreground and then gooseberries and red currants
The Biking Gardener 
Is the named variety of alpine strawberry significantly better? I have a lot. They seem to grow better for me than the large ones! They seem to need more watering in my light soil.
I find, like you, that the alpine strawberries are mush easier to grow – but more difficult to pick a bowlful! This one is different to most alpines because it ‘runners’ everywhere – most just form clumps. the heavy soil here seems to be bad for ordinary strawberries but dosnt faze these ones.
I was just answering and knew there was something wrong withe the name – it was Scarlet Beauty – from Mr Middleton
I just sit in the middle of the patch & eat them off the plant! I find visiting children love to do this too. Sounds like they grow well dry or heavy soil, that’s a good thing to know. They self seed so much I give a lot of plants away. The deer like those too – mine are behind a wire fence!
I am so glad we don’t have deer here!