Groundcover
Strawberry 'Sequoia'
Fragaria × ananassa 'Sequoia' · Rosaceae
Also called: Garden strawberry, June-bearing strawberry
Strawberry 'Sequoia' (Fragaria × ananassa 'Sequoia') is a moderate-water groundcover well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast-growing groundcover.
Strawberry 'Sequoia' at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun in the cool season; provide afternoon/filtered shade or shade cloth once temperatures climb in late spring/summer to protect plants and fruit from low-desert heat.
- Mature size
- Low spreading plant 6-10 in tall, ~12 in wide; spreads by runners to form a groundcover mat.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- White flowers; red fruit., PLANTING SEASON in Tucson: set out transplants in FALL (Oct-Nov) for a cool-season crop, or late winter (Jan-Feb); blooms late winter/spring and fruits in spring (roughly Mar-May) before summer heat. 'Sequoia' is an early June-bearer that also fruits over an extended period.
- Cold hardiness
- Frost-tolerant of light frost but tender new growth/blooms can be damaged by hard frost — cover with frost cloth on freeze nights. In Tucson it is grown as a cool-season crop and struggles in peak summer heat (often treated as an annual or given summer shade).
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil high in organic matter; raised beds or containers work best in Tucson. Prefers slightly acidic to neutral pH (5.5-6.8), so amend alkaline desert soil with compost/peat and watch for iron chlorosis.
- Native range
- Garden hybrid (F. × ananassa, a cross of American F. virginiana and Chilean F. chiloensis); 'Sequoia' is a University of California cultivar.
- Best used as
- Edible fruit, Edible groundcover, Containers, raised beds, hanging baskets, Border edging
- Wildlife
- Flowers attract bees; birds and rodents will eat ripe fruit (netting helps).
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic; fruit safe for people and pets. Foliage non-toxic.
How to grow Strawberry 'Sequoia' in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Keep soil consistently moist (not soggy) — drip or microspray, often daily or every other day in warm weather, more frequently in heat. Mulch (straw) to keep fruit clean, roots cool, and moisture even. Do not let plants dry out during fruiting.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Feed at planting and regularly through the growing season with a balanced or berry/all-purpose fertilizer; supplement chelated iron and soil sulfur to counter alkaline-soil chlorosis. Side-dress with compost.
Pruning & care
Remove runners to direct energy into fruit (or let some root for new plants); pick off old/diseased leaves. As a June-bearer, remove first-year flowers if establishing for stronger plants. Renovate after the main harvest.
Notes
Best grown in Tucson as a COOL-SEASON crop: plant in fall, harvest spring, and shade or replace plants before the worst summer heat. 'Sequoia' is a well-regarded low-chill June-bearer for mild-winter regions. Classified as Groundcover (also fits Vegetable/edible) given its mat-forming, runner-spreading habit. Raised beds/containers with amended, acidified soil give the best results in alkaline desert ground.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (vegetable/berry planting calendars for low desert); Pima County Master Gardeners; UC ANR strawberry cultivar references