Hanging like shiny baubles, scarlet wild strawberries enhance floral decorations with vibrant drops of summery colour
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TINY gem Found in open woods and on grassy banks, the wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca, is smaller than the cultivated variety, but has an intense flavour. A member of the rose family, it can be easily grown in the garden or in a pot. The flesh is known as an accessory fruit, developing from the receptacles of pollinated white flowers, which open in May or June. The actual fruits are the little pips, known as achenes, which are coloured red in the wild variety and attract various wildlife including birds and insects. After enjoying the flesh, they excrete the indigestible pips, thus aiding plant dispersal.
“Strawberries that in gardens grow Are plump and juicy fine, But sweeter far as wise men know Spring from the woodland vine” Robert Graves, ‘Wild Strawberries’
Young wild strawberries, their studded flesh varying from greenish-cream to ruby, are haphazardly placed in a glass bowl to create a natural, tangled arrangement. Lined up in a row, identical bottles in a tray are filled with matching displays of Fragaria vesca; the summer fruit and foliage interspersed with the plant’s dainty white flowers.
A mix of fruit and flowers makes a delightful rose posy of rich reds enveloped in lush foliage.
Pretty floral-patterned crockery is piled up to form a tower. Blush pink and crimson roses fill the saucers, their plump blooms interspersed with red bead-like fruits.
A bright ribbon and sprig of wild strawberries encircle the rim of a jar. Inside, a candle sits on a leafy cushion. A wreath of bushy wild strawberry leaves dotted with flowers edges a cake stand filled with larger field strawberries in the centre.
Purple bellflowers and frothy lady’s bedstraw combined with Fragaria vesca among a roll of twisted grass make a colourful addition to a June place setting.