Strawberry Toscana F1

Strawberry Toscana F1 Seeds

(FleuroStar Award-Winning Ornamental Everbearing Strawberry)

Strawberry Toscana F1 is the award-winning ornamental edible strawberry from ABZ Seeds that set a new standard for the category when it was named the winner of the prestigious FleuroStar Award 2011/12 at the Fleuroselect Annual Conference. The judges from a cross-section of the industry noted that edible ornamentals are trendy and this stunning example has huge commercial potential making it an absolute winner. The FleuroStar Award is among the most respected recognitions in the European ornamental horticulture industry, and Toscana remains one of the most celebrated strawberry varieties ever introduced.

Toscana develops a strong plant with several runners and large, deep rose flowers. Flowering and fruiting begin early in the season and continue along the runners. The single flowers reach up to 4 cm in diameter, are produced in clusters including along the runners, and each flower resembles a small wild rose — an extraordinarily decorative quality for a fruiting plant. The abundant deep pink blooms add a continuous dimension of color and ornamental beauty throughout the entire growing season, long before and after the fruits appear.

Toscana produces an abundant harvest of conical, mid-sized fruits through the whole of summer. Fruits are juicy and sweet–flavored. The deep red color of the ripe berries provides a striking visual contrast against the dark green foliage and the pink blooms, creating a three-element ornamental display — foliage, flower, and fruit — that makes Toscana genuinely exceptional as both a productive and decorative plant.

Toscana is multifunctional and can be used creatively as a bedding plant, is ideal for patio or terrace pots, and is an edible jewel on any balcony. It can be planted alone or in combinations with edible herbs or ornamental bedding plants. The runners, which can reach — a characteristic that makes Toscana spectacular in hanging baskets where the trailing runners spill over the edges carrying blooms and berries simultaneously.
In Gulf conditions, Toscana performs as a premium cool-season ornamental and fruiting plant from autumn through spring.

Variety Details

• Variety: Toscana F1
• Breeder: ABZ Seeds, Netherlands
• Hybrid type: F1
• Award: Fleuroselect FleuroStar Award 2011/12
• Bearing type: Everbearing
• Flower: Large deep rose-pink, up to 4 cm diameter, resembles small wild rose
• Fruit: Deep red, conical, juicy, sweet-flavored
• Runners: Yes — up to 1 m, carry both flowers and fruit
• Yield: Up to 1–2 kg per plant per season

Key Features

• Fleuroselect FleuroStar Award 2011/12 winner — among the most prestigious ornamental horticulture awards.
• Large deep rose-pink flowers up to 4 cm — resembling small wild roses.
• Flowers appear on both mother plant and along runners simultaneously.
• Deep red, juicy, sweet conical fruits throughout the entire season.
• Runners extend to 1 m carrying flowers and fruit — spectacular in hanging baskets.
• Yield of up to 1–2 kg per plant per season.
• Multifunctional — bedding plant, patio pot, hanging basket, border, and herb combination.
• Quick and uniform germination — economical and easy for professional and home growers.
• Suitable for full sun to partial shade.

Plant Information

• Height: 20–30 cm
  Spread: 30–40 cm (runners to 1 m carrying flowers and fruit)
  Plant type: Everbearing (perennial in frost-free climates; grown as annual in cooler zones)
  Hybrid type: F1
  Habit: Compact with decorative trailing runners
  Sun: Full sun to partial shade
  Soil: Rich, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil, pH 6.0–6.5
  Water: Consistent moisture — keep evenly moist
  Spacing: 30 cm apart

Seed Germination

• Seed depth: Surface sow — press lightly into soil, do NOT cover
• Germination time: 6–10 days under optimal conditions (up to 30 days total)
• Ideal germination temperature: 20–25°C
• Important: Toscana F1 seeds require light to germinate — surface sow and do not cover.
• Cold stratification for 3–4 weeks at 2–5°C before sowing improves germination rates and uniformity.
• After stratification, maintain good moisture at 20–25°C and cover the tray with clear plastic until germination, removing the
• plastic after 10–14 days.
• Seeds germinate quickly and uniformly.

Growing Tips

• After cold stratification, sow Toscana F1 seeds on the surface of a good, moist seed-starting compost at 20–25°C.
• Do not cover seeds.
• Cover the tray with clear plastic or place in a propagator to maintain humidity until germination occurs, then remove the covering and move to full light.
• Grow on with sufficient light and moisture at 18–20°C, later preferably a little cooler. Approximately 7 weeks after sowing, transplant into 9–11 cm pots and grow on with full light, plenty of water, and regular fertilization using a balanced NPK formula.
• Keep the crown at or just above the soil surface. Water consistently and feed every two weeks with a balanced strawberry or flowering fertilizer throughout the season.
• Toscana responds vigorously to consistent feeding and watering, rewarding generous care with prolific flowers and fruit.
• The runners are an ornamental feature as well as a productive one — allow them to trail naturally from hanging baskets and containers for the full visual effect or, peg them down to root and produce new plants.
• To maximize fruit production on the mother plant, runners can be removed if preferred.
• To encourage larger, more vigorous plants and a more abundant crop, remove the first flush of flowers when plants are first established, allowing the plant to build root and stem strength before committing to fruit production.
• In Gulf conditions, the cool autumn-to-spring season provides ideal growing conditions.
• Toscana is semi-evergreen in frost-free climates and may persist and re-flower in subsequent seasons under Gulf conditions.

Gulf Planting Season

• Best sowing time in the Gulf: July–August (after cold stratification)
• Transplanting: September–October
• Expected flowering and fruiting: October–April
• Note: Semi-evergreen in frost-free Gulf conditions — may persist and re-flower in subsequent seasons.

Garden and Culinary Uses

• Hanging baskets — spectacular with trailing flower and fruit-bearing runners
• Containers and decorative pots
• Patio, terrace, and balcony edible ornamental displays
• Front-of-border and bedding plant combinations
• Combined with herbs and ornamental edible plants
• Fresh eating
• Desserts, jams, and preserves