Strawberry Cream

Strawberry Cream comes through the Dutch bulb trade rather than an American show program. DutchGrown lists its origin simply as Holland, and no hybridizer, introduction year, or ADS registration surfaced in our sources, which is common for European introductions that reach American gardens through catalogs instead of the show bench. The name does real work in the market, because striped pink and white miniatures photograph like confectionery. It is worth knowing that catalog descriptions do not fully agree on the pattern: some describe a cream ground with a strawberry red heart, others an even pink and white stripe. Look at the seller's own photograph before you order.

This is a small striped bicolor grown for volume rather than scale. Summer Dreams calls it one of the most prolific varieties they grow, throwing flowers on stems that reach 24 inches or more, starting early and holding firm stems all season. Heirloom Soul independently describes highly prolific, bushy, many stemmed plants. Small blooms in quantity is what makes this a cut flower grower's plant rather than a specimen for the border. Blooms run 2 to 4 inches depending on who is holding the ruler. Height reports spread unusually wide, from 42 inches at DutchGrown to 5 feet at Sunset View, so give it room and run netting rather than staking individual stems. Pinch early to encourage the branching it already wants to do.