Hi there.
Just wondering if......
Does anyone have any mara des bois runners they would be happy to send to me ? I have tried online but they won't deliver to Guernsey or rather they want the charge me a frankly ludicruous postal cost. :-X
I have heard that they are fab strawberry plants so would love to give them a try. I will pay postage etc to any kind person willing to part with some of their runners.
Here's hoping. x ;D
Perhaps you could try ordering from a French site? Willemse do them, maybe they can deliver to the Channel Islands. Mara des Bois is quite a common veriety here.
Sorry, no runners this year to speak of...
That might be worth trying, newbieveggie. I hope you manage to get some.
I'd like to try mara des bois next year as well, I think that's what I ordered a few weeks ago (I always forget what I've ordered!) and so perhaps in a couple of years I'll have runners to offer! But hopefully you won't have to wait that long. :)
I got mine from Fothergills. Nice plants arrived. They do not seem to be great at producing runners. Actually I have been rather disappointed with the taste and rather prefer Cambridge Favourite. It has a very soft texture and a very sweet taste. I suppose it depends on what you like.
I also got mine from Fothergills but very sickly plants - spent a month on life support in a shady part of the garden but once they decided to live they just shot off and I have loads of runners. I have been cutting most off as it is their first year but I could do half a dozen or so? Depends how patient you are, I would prefer to root them as they stand a better chance of surviving the journey.
Antipodes suggestion is a good one, might be cheaper and quicker :D
I have grown them for two years now. Plants originally obtained from Ken Muir. They are supposed to be later fruiting than other varieties with a taste very similar to wild strawberries but the fruit very much larger. I agree with larger fruit but not with the taste, a bit insipid. Although they have not lived up to the commercial advertising blurb I will try them another year and see if there is any improvement. I have some rooted runners and there are more being produced.
Oooh I don't know if I like the sound of very soft fruit and insipid flavour. Perhaps the difficulty in me getting the fruit is a sign ??
I have a real mix of strawberry plants, one very very old victorian variety, large/sweet fruit with a buttery texture, one wild/alpine variety (too many pips to fruit for me), an unknown variety from a lady on ebay who said they are delicious and finally some florence. The latter two I will have to wait until next year to try. I just thought I would try something for later on in the season.
I did snaffle a strawberry each from 'albion' and 'cambridge favourite' at my local garden centre (well youve got to try before you buy) OMG they were horrible, bitter, dry and yeuch. Goodness knows what they did to them to make them taste like that ! :o
Mara certainly not later in the season. The only think the CF strawberry plant had was plenty of pig poo and blood fish and bone, they were lovely. You are welcome to a runner from those they have gone into production big time.
I also like marshmarvel but they have produced no runners at all and three of the plants are noticeably not the same varieity, with small tasteless fruit and marshalls have refused to exchange them.
Florence has suddenly started producing some more flowers.
I also have Florian grown from seeds, again lots of runners, loverly pink flowers pity about the taste. They are not incipid they taste of nothing at all. Though at the moment they are the only thing fruiting.
I was disappointed with Mara especially since it receive votes on a thread for the favourite strawberry. Perhaps the soil makes a difference. They are woodland strawberries so I think I might give them some leaf mould.
Yes, I agree that Mara fruit are a soft texture and a bit insipid, not enough acid for my taste.
Growing Albion for the first time this year and very good flavour and crop.