The short period of strawberry fruiting is very frustrating for its connoisseurs, therefore in order to enjoy this tasty and useful berry longer it is recommended to plant several varieties on the site at once. The modern market can offer quite a lot of options for both early and late plant varieties, and we can only choose the best one. Strawberry "Florence" is one of the most suitable options, because despite the late ripening, the taste and aroma of its berries will not leave you indifferent.
Variety description
This variety was bred in 1997 in the UK, by breeding varieties Gorella, Providence, Tioga and some lesser known. A new strawberry was originally recommended for cultivation both indoors and outdoors, and is also suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale and in private amateur conditions.
Did you know? There are also decorative varieties of strawberries. They also give delicious berries, and differ from ordinary varieties of pink flowers.
As for the appearance of "Florence", it is represented by powerful and relatively voluminous bushes with many horns. Through the glossy, dark green leaves are clearly visible fruit, and powerful peduncles towering above them. It cannot be said that the breeding rate of this variety is very high, however, many gardeners will be quite enough for breeding to breed. 
Strawberry is adapted to many adverse weather factors, and also has a high resistance to diseases and pests.
The main feature of the variety "Florence" - later ripening, and so much later that all summer varieties by this time have time to finish their fruiting.
Late ripening strawberry varieties include Chamora Turusi and Malvina.
Among the main advantages of the variety are:
- no need to regularly update the beds (all the qualities of the bush can be maintained at the same place for more than five years);
- large and tasty fruits;
- good external data;
- safety of all useful properties when frozen;
- universality (can be grown up both in open, and in the closed soil);
- high resistance to many ailments.
Fruit characteristics and yield
Large strawberry bushes "Florence" bring the same large fruits that even exceed European reference values (the average weight of a berry is 40-60 g).
The shape of the fruit is wide-conical, and especially large specimens are oval-conical and more rounded. If you cut the strawberries, inside you will find a dense, red and juicy flesh, hidden under a thin skin. The taste of the berries of the variety "Florence" is very sweet, and the smell is reminiscent of strawberry, which attracts many gardeners.
A strawberry bed can be made in the form of a pyramid or vertical, and then the berry bushes will become not only a tasty delicacy, but also a beautiful decorative element on the site.
Fruit ripening usually begins in mid-July, but even when harvested at a later date, the berries will have good keeping quality and can be transported over long distances.
As for yield, this indicator depends on the region of cultivation. For example, on the territory of the western part of Ukraine and the central chernozem part of the Russian Federation, it is possible to harvest up to 35 tons of tasty strawberries from 1 hectare, while in regions with a more severe climate and less nutritious soil these figures will be much lower.
Selection of seedlings
If you want to buy high-quality and healthy strawberry seedlings "Florence", then you have to take into account some selection criteria:
- the presence of a separate pot for each plant (seedlings with a closed root system will take root much more quickly in open soil);
- strawberry leaf plates should not have any stains or mechanical damage;
- the optimal size of the root neck of the seedling is 0.5 cm in diameter;
- on the outlet should be placed three leaves;
- It is desirable that the color of seedlings most closely match the color of adult plants.
VIDEO: HOW TO CHOOSE THE SEEDLINGS You can protect yourself from buying low-quality goods even if you personally know the seller and are confident in his decency. For this reason, many gardeners do not trust online stores with a dubious reputation and do not buy seedlings from the first counter seller.
Did you know? Strawberries are often called natural aphrodisiacs and even equate its action with the action of the popular Viagra. The fact is that the seeds of these berries really contain a large amount of zinc, which increases sexual desire.
Growing conditions
The described strawberry variety does not have high requirements for soil composition, therefore, when choosing a site, you can consider both sandy and loamy soils, however, you will have to fertilize them with a sufficient amount of humus (there should be at least 2.5 kg per square meter). In addition, it is desirable that the land at the site is well missed the air and was characterized by neutral acidity, for which before planting strawberries dolomite flour or calcium carbonate is introduced into the surface layer of the soil. 
Grade "Florence" prefers shaded area, without the close occurrence of groundwater, which can heat the roots. As for the temperature values, then for rooting seedlings, indicators in the aisles of + 18 ... +20 ° C will be ideal, the main thing is to eliminate the likelihood of possible frosts.
Learn how to plant strawberries in spring and autumn.
Seed preparation and planting
The variety "Florence" multiplies in different ways and the seed variant is the most time consuming. Predicting the quality of the seedlings obtained is very difficult, which is why many gardeners prefer to plant strawberries at the site by dividing a bush or a mustache. However, if it is interesting for you to try seed reproduction, then you need to perform the following steps:
- Dry the skin fragments of already harvested berries and separate the seeds from them (as an alternative, you can buy ready-made planting materials in the store).
- Place the seeds in peat pots or prepared soil (just do not need to push much).
- Spray from the sprayer, moistening the top layer of soil.
- Cover the seeds with a film or glass, but so that in the future you can easily lift the lid for airing.
Important! The ideal substrate for planting will be a mixture of soil, peat and humus.
To speed up the emergence of shoots, it is necessary to provide the seedlings with daily watering (from a spray bottle) and good lighting, and when 2-3 true leaves are formed on each sprout, you will need to plant young plants in different pots.
After the appearance of 5-6 leaves, you can prepare seedlings for transplanting to a permanent place of growth. 
During flowering strawberries also need care. It consists in irrigation, feeding, cleaning of weeds.
It is advisable to plant young seedlings in open soil in early September, so that they can settle down well before the first frost and give a full harvest in the spring. If you have to perform a landing in the springtime, then you need to additionally organize a shelter, on the case of short-term night frosts. 
Of course, before planting seedlings, the soil in the area should be dug up, and if necessary, organic fertilizer should be applied to the soil. Considering the dimensions of adult bushes, at least 35 cm of free space must be left between neighboring saplings.
Maintenance and care
The quality of the harvest is directly dependent on compliance with agrotechnical requirements when growing strawberries, "Florence", so the question of watering, feeding and loosening the soil should be taken responsibly.
If you grow plants from seeds, then at first you should not often take shelter, because young shoots are not yet adapted to external conditions and can react badly to a sharp cooling. Spraying of seedlings is performed approximately once every few days, as the topsoil dries out. You should also pay attention to the thickening of the grown seedlings. With insufficient filtration, young saplings start to hurt and subsequently bring very little yield or do not take root at all.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with recommendations and tips on watering strawberries.
Immediately after planting strawberries in the area, watering is carried out 1 time in 3 days, spending about 1 liter of water for 1 square meter of plantings. (preferably clean and warm).
At the end of the adaptation period, the time between irrigations is increased to 7 days, although this is not a final requirement and some other factors may also influence it: soil type, weather conditions (precipitation), the presence of a mulching layer. In addition, the variety "Florence" positively responds to irrigation, which is best done by sprinkling or drip irrigation.
It is useful to know whether it is necessary to mulch strawberries and which types of mulch are best used.
As for fertilizers, in the spring under planting it is good to apply nitrogen, which contributes to the rapid development of strawberry bushes, and when buds and first ovaries appear, this fertilizer is replaced by potassium and phosphorus. Before wintering strawberries it is useful to fertilize a bed with humus or a solution of fermented manure. For the construction of shelter, you can use straw, peat, or a special agrotechnical film that will protect young plants from extreme temperature changes and a snowless period.
Important! During the flowering period, watering increases, and with the onset of fruiting - reduced to once every few weeks. In order not to overdry the soil under a strawberry or not to fill it with water, it is necessary to regularly check the condition of the soil. Abundant watering when ripe berries will lead to a loss of their taste, while an insufficient amount of liquid will reduce the yield.
Disease and pest prevention
Pests and diseases are scary to almost any strawberry variety, so the fight against them should be carried out on all fronts. Strawberry "Florence" often suffers from powdery mildew and root rot, but with properly organized prevention, infection and further development of the disease can be prevented. To do this, with the arrival of spring, already at the first irrigation, “Fitosporin” (diluted according to the instructions on the package) is added to the water, after which the bed is filled with 4 l per 1 sq. M. m
Find out what strawberries are sick of and how to deal with fusarium wilt, brown spot, verticillous wilt of this berry.
Important! Variety "Florence" is characterized by increased resistance to heart rotting, which significantly reduces the material costs for regular preventive processing and improves the sustainability of mature fruits.
Harvesting and storage
When growing the described strawberries, the crop is harvested as it ripens, after about 2-3 days, and in total for the season there are up to 8-10 such harvesting waves. Fruits are usually picked together with sepals and stems, and in order not to mash the berries, it is advisable to put them in shallow boxes.
Check out strawberry care after harvesting.
Harvesting is best done in the morning, right after the dew comes down. In rainy weather or in extreme heat, the procedure is not recommended. The shelf life of torn berries is about 5-6 days, which is several days longer than other varieties. If you do not have time to eat fresh strawberries, then Florence will be an excellent raw material for jam, jam, compote or even liqueur. In extreme cases, you can freeze the fruit, because they even so perfectly retain their taste properties. 
Try to grow a variety of "Florence" on your site, and you will see how good this option is tasty and healthy strawberries, which, moreover, does not require excessive physical effort.
Reviews
And in the characteristics of this variety is written, the formation of a weak.
The first berries are large and very large (double), sometimes even hollow. Productivity is high. Transportability is good. In the section, the berries are brightly colored. The berry is a little fragrant. The taste is sweet and sour, I would describe it as mediocre.
For 5 years in our conditions there was no freezing of plants.
