Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Ozark Beauty Strawberry: Everbearing Berries Near the Lavender
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Ozark Beauty strawberry is a long-popular everbearer, introduced in 1955 and still grown for good reason. It produces a heavy crop of deep red, firm, wedge-shaped berries with a strong, appetizing aroma: a main crop in late spring, then more from summer into fall.
The plants form low clumps with white, yellow-centered flowers and spread by runners to fill a bed.
Ozark Beauty at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Fragaria × ananassa 'Ozark Beauty' |
| Type | Everbearing |
| Berries | Deep red, firm, wedge-shaped, aromatic; freeze well |
| Size | 6 to 8 inches tall, spreading by runners to about 3 feet |
| Bloom | Starts mid-May, peaks late May, repeats later in the season |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Disease | Resists leaf scorch and leaf spot |
Strawberries and lavender on one plan
Both love full sun, and both hate standing water, but strawberries want richer soil and steadier moisture than lavender does. Mixing them in one bed means either thirsty berries or soggy lavender. The better plan is side by side: a raised strawberry bed next to the lavender row, or berries in the kitchen garden with lavender edging the path. Bees visiting the lavender will happily work the strawberry flowers too.
Use the Companion Plant Planner to sketch where each one goes.
Planting bare root strawberries
- Set the crown level with the soil surface. Too deep and it rots; too high and the roots dry out.
- Space plants so runners have room to root and fill in.
- Water in well and keep the soil evenly moist while plants settle.
- To fill a new bed fast, pinch off the first blossoms so the plants put energy into runners.
Care through the season
- Water: regularly, especially while fruit is forming. Fruiting slows in hot spells.
- Mulch: straw keeps berries clean and off the soil. Water at the base to limit gray mold in humid weather.
- Winter: after the ground begins to freeze in late fall, cover with 2 to 4 inches of straw, then pull it back in spring once growth starts.
- Renewal: every few years, start a fresh bed from young runner plants.
- Wildlife: deer like strawberries as much as you do, so protect the bed where they roam.
In the kitchen
The berries have excellent dessert quality and are rated excellent for eating fresh, for jams and for freezing. A bowl of sliced Ozark Beauty berries with a little lavender sugar is about as farm-kitchen as dessert gets. For ideas, browse our lavender recipes.
Frequently asked questions
What does everbearing mean?
Instead of one crop, Ozark Beauty bears in late spring and again from summer into fall.
Can I grow it in a container?
Yes. Use rich potting mix, a pot with drainage and water more often than in the ground.
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