Culture
Best grown in organically rich, fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Space plants 12” apart. Pinch off all flowers the first year. Strawberries are a high maintenance food crop that can be grown throughout the United States. Growing recommendations vary considerably depending upon climate, however, and cultivars are often regionally adapted. Grow only certified disease-resistant cultivars.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Fragaria × ananassa, commonly called strawberry, is a low-growing, stoloniferous, herbaceous, hybrid perennial of cultivated origin that resulted from a cross between F. chiloensis and F. virginiana. This plant is cultivated around the world for its large, sweet, flavorful aggregate fruits. Mature plants will reach up to 1' tall and spread to fill a 2' area. The compound leaves form a dense, mounding rosette and are made up of three, ovate leaflets with toothed margins. Plants will spread by above-ground stolons that root at the nodes, eventually forming new plantlets. The 0.5-0.75" wide, five-petaled, white flowers are held in loose clusters and bloom in spring. The plump, cone-shaped aggregate fruits ripen from green to bright red and can reach 1" wide.
Genus name comes from the Latin word fraga meaning strawberry presumably from fragrans meaning fragrant in reference to the perfume of the fruit.
The hybrid name ananassa refers to the fragrance of the aggregate fruits which is said to resemble pineapple (genus Ananas).
The origin of the common name strawberry is somewhat obscure, but could refer to the small, yellow seeds that dot the surface of the aggregate fruit, resembling pieces of straw or chaff. The origin could also be related to the above-ground runners being described as "strewn" or "stray", which then morphed over time to become "straw".
'Ruby Ann' is an everbearing strawberry cultivar that features showy red flowers and sweet, medium-sized, bright red fruits. Mature plants will reach up to 1' tall and 3' wide.
Problems
Strawberries are susceptible to a large number of potential problems, including but not limited to: foliage diseases (leaf spot), root rots (red stele, black root rot), fruit rots (anthracnose, leather rot), verticillium wilt, gray mold, viruses and scorch. Tarnished plant bug, mites, aphids, leafrollers, slugs, nematodes and strawberry weevils are occasional insect pests. Deer tend to avoid the foliage.
Uses
'Ruby Ann' offers more ornamental interest than other strawberry selections and is suitable for use in hanging baskets and other containers.