Pineberry at Crocus
Position: full sun
Soil: any soil
Rate of growth: fast-growing
Other features: tasty white fruit
Hardiness: fully hardy

During the last summer, a well-known supermarket was selling these delicious and unusual fruits for around 25-30p per berry – and they were still in big demand! Now that the plants are available (they have only recently been released onto the market) you can grow your own. The juicy and sweet fruits are a taste sensation – just like strawberries but with the flavour of pineapple. It is the result of a cross between two different strawberry plants, one from South America and the other from North America. It flowers in May, and then the fruits appear, green at first but then ripening to white with deep red seeds. Ready to harvest in June, the fruits are rarely eaten by the birds as they do not think they look ripe, so you usually will not need to net them.

Garden care: It prefers a sunny spot. In winter, protect the crowns with straw or glass.