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Not to be missed!

Vitis Fragola Nera - Strawberry vine

Vitis labrusca x vinifera Fragola Nera
Cayuga White, Seyval Blanc, Grape vine

4,7/5
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2 reviews

This spring, it's coming back with a vengeance! Flowers have even appeared as early as the end of February... Okay, we're in the south and the winter is mild, but this vine is regrowing rapidly and vigorously. Very pleased :)

Oliver S, 12/03/2024

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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty

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Value-for-money
This amazing 'Fragola Nera' vine is an ancient hybrid variety that produces black grapes, with its tender green pulp possessing an aromatic and fragrant flavour that strikingly resembles that of wild strawberries. It is a woody climbing stem bush, with stems equipped with tendrils, which bears beautiful deciduous leaves of medium green colour. It blooms in late spring, in the form of green flower clusters. Its medium-sized grapes can be consumed as is, in juice or in jams. Harvest in September-October, depending on the season. This bush, both indulgent and decorative, is resistant to phylloxera and not very susceptible to diseases.
Height at maturity
5 m
Spread at maturity
2 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -15°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time October to November
Recommended planting time February to March, September to November
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Flowering time May to June
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Description

This amazing 'Fragola Nera' vine, perhaps better known as 'Isabella' or 'Odess', is an ancient hybrid variety that produces beautiful clusters of black grapes, whose pulp has an aromatic and flavourful taste that is reminiscent of wild strawberries. Its medium-sized grapes can be eaten as is, juiced, or made into jams. The harvest takes place, depending on the region, the year, and the climate, from mid-September to October. This productive vine, which is resistant to diseases, requires little maintenance while promising many gustatory and aesthetic pleasures. It can be grown in the garden, on a pergola, in a container, or trained against a wall.

'Fragola Nera' is a hybrid with uncertain origins, likely resulting from a spontaneous cross-breeding that took place in the United States during the trials of European grape varieties. It seems that the arrival of phylloxera, which decimated the European vineyards at the end of the 19th century, can be attributed to this vine, which was in turn imported to the old continent. Its first parent is undoubtedly Vitis labrusca, a species native to the eastern North America. It passed on its natural resistance to phylloxera, which parasitises the roots of European vines. The grapes of 'Fragola Nera' also inherited the thick skin of this parent, with a particular flavour (strong and earthy aromas) that easily separates from the pulp. Its second parent is an unknown variety of Vitis vinifera, cultivated since ancient times in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. All these plants belong to the Vitaceae family.

The Vitis 'Fragola Nera' is a sarmentous and climbing bush, with serpentine stems equipped with tendrils that can exceed 5 metres (16 feet) in length over time. It forms a trunk, often nodose and twisted, covered with fibrous and brown bark that flakes off in strips as it ages. Its long green stems bear beautiful round-shaped leaves, with serrated edges, of medium green colour, turning yellow before falling in autumn. It blooms in late spring, from May to June depending on the region, in the form of dense and well-formed clusters, pyramid-shaped to cylindrical, loaded with tiny green flowers. After pollination by insects, the berries we call grapes form. Under their dark purple, thick, and pruinose skin, the pale green flesh, low in seeds, juicy and sweet, reveals a surprising aroma of wild strawberries. They can be consumed as table grapes or used for winemaking. This variety is very hardy and easy to grow in any well-drained garden soil, but not limestone. It is pruned in late winter, after the frost, above 3 buds to promote the formation of new shoots that will flower.

Planted in the sun, the 'Fragola Nera' vine will be very decorative along a wall, on a pergola, in the ground, or in a large container on a terrace. This grape variety is also widely used for garden ornamentation, thanks to its decorative foliage. In Switzerland, it is distilled to make 'grappa tessinoise'. Despite its atypical, slightly 'earthy' flavour it is consumed as a table grape.

Vitis Fragola Nera - Strawberry vine in pictures

Vitis Fragola Nera - Strawberry vine (Foliage) Foliage
Vitis Fragola Nera - Strawberry vine (Harvest) Harvest

Plant habit

Height at maturity 5 m
Spread at maturity 2 m
Growth rate normal

Flowering

Flower colour green
Flowering time May to June
Inflorescence Cluster
Fruit colour black

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour medium green

Botanical data

Genus

Vitis

Species

labrusca x vinifera

Cultivar

Fragola Nera

Family

Vitaceae

Other common names

Cayuga White, Seyval Blanc, Grape vine

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference864501

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Planting and care

The 'Fragola Nera' Vine should be planted in a well-drained, neutral or acidic soil (unlike European vines, which prefer limestone), preferably moist, that you have enriched with an organic fertiliser. Once well established, the vine withstands summer drought quite well. Choose a sunny exposure, possibly partial shade in the Mediterranean (southeast exposure). It can tolerate temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F). Prune it in February-March, after the frost, leaving 2 or 3 buds on the secondary shoots. Prune it again once the berries have formed on the clusters, leaving 2 or 3 leaves above each cluster (this allows the sun to reach the fruits and the sap to nourish them more efficiently). Once the framework of your trellis is formed, remove the shoots that have produced fruits every year. Stake or train to support and guide the shoots. Train it against a wall to benefit directly from the grapes. Mildew and powdery mildew are common (especially in rainy climates), which is why it is advisable to treat the vine in spring and during summer with Bordeaux mixture and/or sulfur powder. This vine may take a season to establish well, during which it will grow moderately. Its woody climbing stems will then gain several metres per year and will require pruning.

Planting period

Best planting time October to November
Recommended planting time February to March, September to November
Type of support Arbour, Pergola, Trellis

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Woodland edge
Type of use Climbing
Hardiness Hardy down to -15°C (USDA zone 7b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Acidic, Neutral
Soil moisture Moist soil, free-draining, porous, non-calcareous

Care

Pruning instructions Formation pruning: in late winter, while your vine has not yet formed the appropriate framework for the chosen use (covering a wall, a pergola, a trellis etc.), remove any misplaced branches and allow the others to grow to the desired length. Fruiting pruning: in late winter, after the frosts, prune all secondary branches above 2 or 3 buds. After flowering, in June-July, leave only 2 or 3 leaves above each cluster.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time February to March, June
Soil moisture Moist soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
4,7/5
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