How to grow mock strawberry: caring for a shade-tolerant groundcover like this

- Mock strawberry (Duchesnea indica) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the rose family, genus Duchesnea, growing on hillsides, roadsides, in grass clumps and damp shady spots. It grows quickly and covers the ground well, and its leaves, flowers and fruit all have high ornamental value. It blooms from April to May; when in flower, small yellow blossoms dot the plant, breaking up the monotony of green and giving a sense of life's vitality. After the flowering period, it is covered with small strawberry-like red fruits that are quite attractive. It has strong stress resistance and is simple to manage with extensive care, needs no pruning, and is a rare new and superior groundcover plant.

The seed germination rate of mock strawberry is very low, usually no more than 10%, while its vegetative propagation ability is very strong. For artificial lawn establishment, whole plants can be transplanted, or the entire creeping stems and branches can be separated, or cut into 20 to 35 cm stem sections and buried in soil 3 to 5 cm deep. Keep the soil moist, and a full groundcover can form in about 3 months.

Mock strawberry has strong vitality, is evergreen, fast-growing, with bright flowers and beautiful fruit. The plant is short and grows creeping, and tolerates trampling fairly well. It is suitable for planting on slopes, under trees, in courtyards and other places, forming a distinctive greening landscape and enhancing urban wildness. It is a rare and excellent groundcover plant. One place where it has already been used extensively is Shanghu Park in Changshu, Jiangsu.

Common planting methods for shade-tolerant groundcover plants

Like other plants, shade-tolerant groundcover plants have many functions: regulating environmental temperature and humidity, absorbing and breaking down harmful gases and dust, purifying the air, and balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide content in the air. At the same time, they make up for the shortcomings of other plants, growing well in areas with little sunlight and in damp shady environments, and playing a good role in soil and water conservation. Using shade-tolerant plants for shady-area greening is an important measure for increasing green coverage, beautifying and scenting the environment, and improving the ecological environment. Here are several common shade-tolerant groundcover plants:

1. Ardisia japonica: an evergreen small shrub of the primrose family, genus Ardisia. It is also called laowuda, dijuizi and pingdimu among the public, and is a medicinal herb. The plant is 10 to 30 cm tall, with nearly leathery leaves that are glossy green above and pale green beneath. It blooms from June to September, with small white or pink flowers. The fruiting period is August to December; when ripe the fruit is red and remains on the plant for a long time, making it quite beautiful.

Ardisia japonica can be propagated by sowing, division and cuttings. According to records, seeds of Ardisia japonica do not germinate in the same year; they only germinate in May to June of the following year, and the natural germination rate is poor, generally only 3% to 5%, so treatment with sulfuric acid is needed. Division propagation is usually carried out in spring and autumn: cut apart the rhizomes, making sure each section of rhizome has one branch, then plant them in prepared containers or on leveled ground, keep them moist, and they will take root in about 20 days. If cuttings are used, branches about 5 to 8 cm high can be cut in May to June, some old leaves removed, and inserted into a prepared cutting bed; keep the leaf surfaces moist and the medium moist, and they will root in about 1 month.

Because it mostly grows in shady, damp environments such as under trees, in valleys and beside streams, it is extremely shade-tolerant and is an excellent foliage groundcover plant for damp shady environments. It is mostly used under scattered trees and in damp shady spots among shrubs, and is a new favorite groundcover beneath urban overpasses and elevated roads. It can also be used for potted display and in plantings in rock gardens, flowerbeds and flower borders.

2. Hosta ventricosa: a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, genus Hosta, mainly distributed in wild mountain gullies and damp shady places under trees in East China and Southwest China. It likes a warm, humid climate and shade, and dislikes long periods of direct sunlight. Its tillering ability and cold resistance are extremely strong, and it is not strict about soil. It grows well in ordinary soil. It turns green again in early to mid-April, blooms from June to July, and when flowering the scapes emerge from among the leaves with rather small pale purple flowers; the fruiting period is August. It enters the withering period from late September to early October.

Hosta ventricosa is mainly propagated by division, transplanting divided clumps in spring and autumn. After transplanting, Hosta ventricosa survives very easily and takes effect quickly.

Hosta ventricosa has a strong ability to adapt to the environment and requires only extensive management. It has great ornamental value and greening function, and can be widely used in shaded places such as beneath overpasses and elevated roads, in courtyards, residential communities, parks, and open spaces under greening trees.

3. Hosta: a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, genus Hosta, with thick, unusual leaves that are glossy and emerald green, and scapes standing upright above the leaf clumps. Both flowers and leaves are beautiful. It blooms from July to September, with flowers as white as jade and fragrant, making it a beautiful and elegant summer ornamental flower. Today there are many horticultural varieties, and more variegated-leaf varieties enrich the visual effect.

Hosta can be propagated by sowing and division, and some new horticultural varieties are also propagated by tissue culture. Hosta produces very few seeds; harvest them after autumn when the seeds are ripe but before the seed pods split, then dry and store them. They can be sown in early spring of the following year, in February to March, and seedlings grow slowly. Division propagation is the main method of propagating Hosta. It can be done in both spring and autumn: in early spring before growth starts in March to April, or in autumn preferably after the leaves turn yellow. Take out the roots and cut them with sharp shears at places where the root nodes are sparse, keeping 3 to 4 buds per piece, and at least 2 buds. Division propagation can preserve the excellent traits of the variety, and growth is fast, so it can bloom in the same year.

Hosta is especially fond of shady, damp environments. Under strong sunlight radiation, its chlorophyll is damaged, the leaves turn yellow, and the leaf edges dry and scorch. In gardens it is most suitable for planting under scattered trees, or in the shaded side of buildings (the north side) to set off the architecture, or planted beside rocks; it can also be grown in pots.

4. Ferns: most ferns have fairly strong shade tolerance, as well as strong adaptability and resistance, and can survive in poor environments, especially places where the soil is rather barren, hidden and unsuitable for cultivating plants. In such places, using ferns for landscaping and greening is the best choice, and ferns grow fast and have strong reproductive capacity, so a green-belt landscape can quickly appear. South of the Yangtze River, Dryopteris, Pteris, Matteuccia, Humata, Diplopterygium and Pteris multifida are simple to plant and require extensive management, and can quickly form a landscape.

At present, ferns used for commercial landscape applications mainly rely on wild collection and sporophyte division propagation. Wild collection causes serious damage to wild fern resources and the ecological environment, while division propagation has a low propagation coefficient and poor ornamental quality. Ferns, however, produce large amounts of spores, which is an effective way to rapidly breed seedlings.

Several terrestrial ferns such as Pteris multifida and Cyrtomium have strong alkaline tolerance, strong resistance and require extensive management, and can adapt to almost all soil types. Cyrtomium can be used as a groundcover plant on greenbelt roadsides, forest edges and under trees. Pteris multifida has a delicate, soft form and, suitably combined with stone features, can achieve a unique landscape effect. Cyclosorus and Parathelypteris are especially suitable for planting in large patches in green spaces, with a fresh green color that is delightful.

5. Indocalamus: broad-leaved indocalamus is a shrubby bamboo of the grass family, genus Indocalamus, with a plant height of 0.5 to 1 m. Indocalamus is native to East China, Central China and other places, with abundant wild resources and a fairly wide distribution, and it is also cultivated in Beijing and areas to the south. It has strong adaptability, is relatively cold-resistant, likes moisture and tolerates drought, is not strict about soil, and can grow normally even in mildly saline-alkaline soil. It likes light and tolerates partial shade.

Indocalamus can be propagated by sowing, division or burying rhizomes. Among these methods, burying rhizomes is the most commonly used and also has a relatively high survival rate.

In gardens it is mostly planted under open woodland, and can also be planted along rivers for bank protection. The culms can be used for brush handles and bamboo chopsticks, and the leaves can be used for bamboo hats, boat awnings and wrapping zongzi.

6. Mock strawberry (Duchesnea indica) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the rose family, genus Duchesnea, growing on hillsides, roadsides, in grass clumps and damp shady spots. It grows quickly and covers the ground well, and its leaves, flowers and fruit all have high ornamental value. It blooms from April to May; when in flower, small yellow blossoms dot the plant, breaking up the monotony of green and giving a sense of life's vitality. After the flowering period, it is covered with small strawberry-like red fruits that are quite attractive. It has strong stress resistance and is simple to manage with extensive care, needs no pruning, and is a rare new and superior groundcover plant.

The seed germination rate of mock strawberry is very low, usually no more than 10%, while its vegetative propagation ability is very strong. For artificial lawn establishment, whole plants can be transplanted, or the entire creeping stems and branches can be separated, or cut into 20 to 35 cm stem sections and buried in soil 3 to 5 cm deep. Keep the soil moist, and a full groundcover can form in about 3 months.

Mock strawberry has strong vitality, is evergreen, fast-growing, with bright flowers and beautiful fruit. The plant is short and grows creeping, and tolerates trampling fairly well. It is suitable for planting on slopes, under trees, in courtyards and other places, forming a distinctive greening landscape and enhancing urban wildness. It is a rare and excellent groundcover plant. One place where it has already been used extensively is Shanghu Park in Changshu, Jiangsu.

7. Farfugium japonicum: of the aster family, genus Farfugium, a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant. The leaves are bright green and glossy, and it blooms in late autumn with yellow flowers. It likes semi-shade and humid environments, fears direct sunlight, and is cold-resistant; in the Jiangnan region it can overwinter outdoors.

It is commonly propagated by division. In spring, when repotting and changing the soil, shake off the old soil after removing the plant from the pot, divide the clump into 3 to 4 parts, and pot them separately. It can also be grown in the open ground, and after planting the management can be fairly extensive; the aboveground part dies in winter, and in the following spring it will sprout and leaf out on its own. Farfugium japonicum can also be propagated by seed, sown in a seedbed each early spring, and transplanted into pots after the seedlings emerge.

Farfugium japonicum seedlings must not be too wet, otherwise they are prone to disease.

It is suitable for large-area planting as groundcover under trees or beneath overpasses, in damp shady spots at forest edges, beside streams and gullies, and next to rocks. Several specific ways of using it are introduced here: planted on the north side of buildings, especially the north side of high-rise buildings; planted in moso bamboo groves, sweetgum forests or deciduous-evergreen mixed forests as groundcover for scenic forests; planted on the north side of rock walls, or in the shaded corners of building walls; planted beneath elevated roads and overpasses to form a shade-tolerant flowering groundcover.

8. Glechoma hederacea: also known as fo-er-cao and jinqiancao, a perennial creeping herb of the mint family. The leaves are opposite, with long petioles, rounded teeth on the leaf margins, and short soft hairs on the veins on both sides. The flowers grow in the leaf axils, 2 to 6 in whorls, labiate, pale purple or pink, blooming from March to April. Glechoma hederacea is scattered under trees, along roadsides and beside streams, and likes shady, damp environments. The current horticultural variety variegated Glechoma hederacea has the same growth habit as Glechoma hederacea, with white margins on the leaves.

Glechoma hederacea is pollinated by insects, and the seeds fall naturally to the ground after ripening, but because its creeping stems root at each node, vegetative propagation is relatively easy. For artificial lawn establishment, the creeping stems can be cut into sections for cuttings, generally 2 to 3 nodes per section, and no fewer than 2 nodes. Ensure soil moisture in summer, and they will root in about 10 days and form a good landscape effect in about 1 month.

In early spring, the small purple or pink flowers of Glechoma hederacea dot the green leaves, filling the gap at a time when most grass species have not yet turned green, and adding a touch of color to early spring.

The plants above all have wild resources distributed in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai region, and this is also one of the main sources of materials currently used in garden green spaces. However, this method cannot be used over the long term; ultimately artificial cultivation and propagation are still needed, and moreover there is still a shortage of excellent shade-tolerant groundcover varieties. Therefore, researching fast and effective propagation methods for shade-tolerant plants and continuing to develop native shade-tolerant groundcovers is important work for the next stage. As urbanization advances and urban building density increases, large numbers of shady environments appear, and the required urban greening coverage rate is also getting higher and higher. Whether it is rooftop greening on high-rise buildings or greening and leisure plazas in the city center, or areas beneath overpasses and elevated roads, these places all need greening, and scattered-tree woodland is also one of the major directions of today's greening, with remarkable ecological benefits. Greening under scattered trees, under overpasses and under elevated roads is an important part of urban greening, and the important material for greening these areas is shade-tolerant groundcover plants.

Planting methods for shade-tolerant groundcover plants

As urbanization advances and urban building density increases, large numbers of shady environments appear, and the required urban greening coverage rate is also getting higher and higher. Whether it is rooftop greening on high-rise buildings or greening and leisure plazas in the city center, or areas beneath overpasses and elevated roads, these places all need greening, and scattered-tree woodland is also one of the major directions of today's greening, with remarkable ecological benefits. Greening under scattered trees, under overpasses and under elevated roads is an important part of urban greening, and the important material for greening these areas is shade-tolerant groundcover plants.

Like other plants, shade-tolerant groundcover plants have many functions: regulating environmental temperature and humidity, absorbing and breaking down harmful gases and dust, purifying the air, and balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide content in the air. At the same time, they make up for the shortcomings of other plants, growing well in areas with little sunlight and in damp shady environments, and playing a good role in soil and water conservation. Using shade-tolerant plants for shady-area greening is an important measure for increasing green coverage, beautifying and scenting the environment, and improving the ecological environment. Here are several common shade-tolerant groundcover plants:

1. Ardisia japonica: an evergreen small shrub of the primrose family, genus Ardisia. It is also called laowuda, dijuizi and pingdimu among the public, and is a medicinal herb. The plant is 10 to 30 cm tall, with nearly leathery leaves that are glossy green above and pale green beneath. It blooms from June to September, with small white or pink flowers. The fruiting period is August to December; when ripe the fruit is red and remains on the plant for a long time, making it quite beautiful.

Ardisia japonica can be propagated by sowing, division and cuttings. According to records, seeds of Ardisia japonica do not germinate in the same year; they only germinate in May to June of the following year, and the natural germination rate is poor, generally only 3% to 5%, so treatment with sulfuric acid is needed. Division propagation is usually carried out in spring and autumn: cut apart the rhizomes, making sure each section of rhizome has one branch, then plant them in prepared containers or on leveled ground, keep them moist, and they will take root in about 20 days. If cuttings are used, branches about 5 to 8 cm high can be cut in May to June, some old leaves removed, and inserted into a prepared cutting bed; keep the leaf surfaces moist and the medium moist, and they will root in about 1 month.

Because it mostly grows in shady, damp environments such as under trees, in valleys and beside streams, it is extremely shade-tolerant and is an excellent foliage groundcover plant for damp shady environments. It is mostly used under scattered trees and in damp shady spots among shrubs, and is a new favorite groundcover beneath urban overpasses and elevated roads. It can also be used for potted display and in plantings in rock gardens, flowerbeds and flower borders.

2. Hosta ventricosa: a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, genus Hosta, mainly distributed in wild mountain gullies and damp shady places under trees in East China and Southwest China. It likes a warm, humid climate and shade, and dislikes long periods of direct sunlight. Its tillering ability and cold resistance are extremely strong, and it is not strict about soil. It grows well in ordinary soil. It turns green again in early to mid-April, blooms from June to July, and when flowering the scapes emerge from among the leaves with rather small pale purple flowers; the fruiting period is August. It enters the withering period from late September to early October.

Hosta ventricosa is mainly propagated by division, transplanting divided clumps in spring and autumn. After transplanting, Hosta ventricosa survives very easily and takes effect quickly.

Hosta ventricosa has a strong ability to adapt to the environment and requires only extensive management. It has great ornamental value and greening function, and can be widely used in shaded places such as beneath overpasses and elevated roads, in courtyards, residential communities, parks, and open spaces under greening trees.

3. Hosta: a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family, genus Hosta, with thick, unusual leaves that are glossy and emerald green, and scapes standing upright above the leaf clumps. Both flowers and leaves are beautiful. It blooms from July to September, with flowers as white as jade and fragrant, making it a beautiful and elegant summer ornamental flower. Today there are many horticultural varieties, and more variegated-leaf varieties enrich the visual effect.

Hosta can be propagated by sowing and division, and some new horticultural varieties are also propagated by tissue culture. Hosta produces very few seeds; harvest them after autumn when the seeds are ripe but before the seed pods split, then dry and store them. They can be sown in early spring of the following year, in February to March, and seedlings grow slowly. Division propagation is the main method of propagating Hosta. It can be done in both spring and autumn: in early spring before growth starts in March to April, or in autumn preferably after the leaves turn yellow. Take out the roots and cut them with sharp shears at places where the root nodes are sparse, keeping 3 to 4 buds per piece, and at least 2 buds. Division propagation can preserve the excellent traits of the variety, and growth is fast, so it can bloom in the same year.

Hosta is especially fond of shady, damp environments. Under strong sunlight radiation, its chlorophyll is damaged, the leaves turn yellow, and the leaf edges dry and scorch. In gardens it is most suitable for planting under scattered trees, or in the shaded side of buildings (the north side) to set off the architecture, or planted beside rocks; it can also be grown in pots.

4. Ferns: most ferns have fairly strong shade tolerance, as well as strong adaptability and resistance, and can survive in poor environments, especially places where the soil is rather barren, hidden and unsuitable for cultivating plants. In such places, using ferns for landscaping and greening is the best choice, and ferns grow fast and have strong reproductive capacity, so a green-belt landscape can quickly appear. South of the Yangtze River, Dryopteris, Pteris, Matteuccia, Humata, Diplopterygium and Pteris multifida are simple to plant and require extensive management, and can quickly form a landscape.

At present, ferns used for commercial landscape applications mainly rely on wild collection and sporophyte division propagation. Wild collection causes serious damage to wild fern resources and the ecological environment, while division propagation has a low propagation coefficient and poor ornamental quality. Ferns, however, produce large amounts of spores, which is an effective way to rapidly breed seedlings.

Several terrestrial ferns such as Pteris multifida and Cyrtomium have strong alkaline tolerance, strong resistance and require extensive management, and can adapt to almost all soil types. Cyrtomium can be used as a groundcover plant on greenbelt roadsides, forest edges and under trees. Pteris multifida has a delicate, soft form and, suitably combined with stone features, can achieve a unique landscape effect. Cyclosorus and Parathelypteris are especially suitable for planting in large patches in green spaces, with a fresh green color that is delightful.

5.Indocalamus broad-leaved indocalamusis a shrubby bamboo of the grass family, genus Indocalamus, with a plant height of 0.5 to 1 m. Indocalamus is native to East China, Central China and other places, with abundant wild resources and a fairly wide distribution, and it is also cultivated in Beijing and areas to the south. It has strong adaptability, is relatively cold-resistant, likes moisture and tolerates drought, is not strict about soil, and can grow normally even in mildly saline-alkaline soil. It likes light and tolerates partial shade.

Indocalamus can be propagated by sowing, division or burying rhizomes. Among these methods, burying rhizomes is the most commonly used and also has a relatively high survival rate.

In gardens it is mostly planted under open woodland, and can also be planted along rivers for bank protection. The culms can be used for brush handles and bamboo chopsticks, and the leaves can be used for bamboo hats, boat awnings and wrapping zongzi.

6. Mock strawberry (Duchesnea indica) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the rose family, genus Duchesnea, growing on hillsides, roadsides, in grass clumps and damp shady spots. It grows quickly and covers the ground well, and its leaves, flowers and fruit all have high ornamental value. It blooms from April to May; when in flower, small yellow blossoms dot the plant, breaking up the monotony of green and giving a sense of life's vitality. After the flowering period, it is covered with small strawberry-like red fruits that are quite attractive. It has strong stress resistance and is simple to manage with extensive care, needs no pruning, and is a rare new and superior groundcover plant.

The seed germination rate of mock strawberry is very low, usually no more than 10%, while its vegetative propagation ability is very strong. For artificial lawn establishment, whole plants can be transplanted, or the entire creeping stems and branches can be separated, or cut into 20 to 35 cm stem sections and buried in soil 3 to 5 cm deep. Keep the soil moist, and a full groundcover can form in about 3 months.

Mock strawberry has strong vitality, is evergreen, fast-growing, with bright flowers and beautiful fruit. The plant is short and grows creeping, and tolerates trampling fairly well. It is suitable for planting on slopes, under trees, in courtyards and other places, forming a distinctive greening landscape and enhancing urban wildness. It is a rare and excellent groundcover plant. One place where it has already been used extensively is Shanghu Park in Changshu, Jiangsu.

7. Farfugium japonicum: of the aster family, genus Farfugium, a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant. The leaves are bright green and glossy, and it blooms in late autumn with yellow flowers. It likes semi-shade and humid environments, fears direct sunlight, and is cold-resistant; in the Jiangnan region it can overwinter outdoors.

It is commonly propagated by division. In spring, when repotting and changing the soil, shake off the old soil after removing the plant from the pot, divide the clump into 3 to 4 parts, and pot them separately. It can also be grown in the open ground, and after planting the management can be fairly extensive; the aboveground part dies in winter, and in the following spring it will sprout and leaf out on its own. Farfugium japonicum can also be propagated by seed, sown in a seedbed each early spring, and transplanted into pots after the seedlings emerge.

Farfugium japonicum seedlings must not be too wet, otherwise they are prone to disease.

It is suitable for large-area planting as groundcover under trees or beneath overpasses, in damp shady spots at forest edges, beside streams and gullies, and next to rocks. Several specific ways of using it are introduced here: planted on the north side of buildings, especially the north side of high-rise buildings; planted in moso bamboo groves, sweetgum forests or deciduous-evergreen mixed forests as groundcover for scenic forests; planted on the north side of rock walls, or in the shaded corners of building walls; planted beneath elevated roads and overpasses to form a shade-tolerant flowering groundcover.

8. Glechoma hederacea: also known as fo-er-cao and jinqiancao, a perennial creeping herb of the mint family. The leaves are opposite, with long petioles, rounded teeth on the leaf margins, and short soft hairs on the veins on both sides. The flowers grow in the leaf axils, 2 to 6 in whorls, labiate, pale purple or pink, blooming from March to April. Glechoma hederacea is scattered under trees, along roadsides and beside streams, and likes shady, damp environments. The current horticultural variety variegated Glechoma hederacea has the same growth habit as Glechoma hederacea, with white margins on the leaves.

Glechoma hederacea is pollinated by insects, and the seeds fall naturally to the ground after ripening, but because its creeping stems root at each node, vegetative propagation is relatively easy. For artificial lawn establishment, the creeping stems can be cut into sections for cuttings, generally 2 to 3 nodes per section, and no fewer than 2 nodes. Ensure soil moisture in summer, and they will root in about 10 days and form a good landscape effect in about 1 month.

In early spring, the small purple or pink flowers of Glechoma hederacea dot the green leaves, filling the gap at a time when most grass species have not yet turned green, and adding a touch of color to early spring.

The plants above all have wild resources distributed in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai region, and this is also one of the main sources of materials currently used in garden green spaces. However, this method cannot be used over the long term; ultimately artificial cultivation and propagation are still needed, and moreover there is still a shortage of excellent shade-tolerant groundcover varieties. Therefore, researching fast and effective propagation methods for shade-tolerant plants and continuing to develop native shade-tolerant groundcovers is important work for the next stage.