Mediterranean Strawberries?

Stepping out into the dewy garden on a summer morning and gathering a handful of strawberries for breakfast – a gardener’s reality in Switzerland and other Northern regions. Down here, for me, alas, it remains a dream. It may be different in the nearby hills but at 50 masI it is simply too hot and too dry for strawberries to grow well, even in half-shade.

I’ve experimented with planting them among the blackberries and raspberries (another experiment) behind a hedge, sheltering them from sun until the afternoon, shading them with flowers, and watering fairly often. But the six plants returned only a handful of nice fruit – not really worth the effort.
As they do try to grow all over the place I have left them in for now – to see if maybe they find themselves a better spot.

I’m also currently experimenting using them as ground cover in a large container with a Jasminum sambac in the half shade on the terrace. They are doing better there and offer a few fruits every few days to pick as a little snack. They don’t really grow vigorously there either though.

And I’ve planted two “Mara des Bois” in one of the raised potager beds to see if they will thrive there with summer shading.