DATE: Sunday, June 22, 1997                 TAG: 9706200137

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: GARDENING

SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

``PINK PANDA'' COVERS A LOT OF GROUND WITH PRETTY BLOOMS

ON ANY TRIP to England, every gardener should visit Bressingham Gardens, near Norfolk, England, northeast of London. It will be one of the most enjoyable stops on your trip.

Operated by father and son team Alan and Adrian Bloom, Bressingham is England's largest nursery.

At Bressingham, one of the unusual plants you'll notice is a pink-flowered strawberry called Fragaria ``Pink Panda.'' It's an easy-spreading perennial ground cover that brightens a landscape.

It has large flowers and can be used in patio containers and hanging baskets. It can even be brought inside for short periods as a houseplant.

Two years ago, Bressingham Gardens entered the U.S. market with a select group of perennial plants, including ``Pink Panda.'' These plants are now available in North American garden centers.

``Pink Panda'' bears fruit that is tasty but distinctly different from regular strawberries and not intended to be grown as a commercial crop.

Another attribute of ``Pink Panda'' is its semi-evergreen foliage. The plants are extremely hardy and have demonstrated an ability to survive temperatures well below zero and come back year after year.

Adrian Bloom calls ``Pink Panda'' a ``fun plant.'' The Blooms have donated a portion of early sales to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, whose symbol is a black-and-white panda.

The plant was introduced to the public at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show in 1989.

``Pink Panda'' should be planted in full sun to partial shade, where it will grow 5 inches tall and spread to 24 inches wide. Use three to four plants per square yard. Ordinary well-drained soil is best, but the plant can adapt to all soil types.

``Pink Panda'' normally begins to flower in late spring with a mass of deep pink flowers that fade slightly as they open. Depending to some extent on the heat, flowering will continue on and off throughout the summer. Another strong flowering period begins in the fall and continues until the first frost.

Flowering can be increased by picking the fruit as soon as it begins to set.

In this area, Blooms of Bressingham plants are available at White's Old Mill Garden Center in Chesapeake. They also are available by mail from Wayside Gardens, 1 Garden Lane, Hodges, S.C. 29695-0001. Call (800) 845-1124. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

YODER BROTHERS

Fragaria ``Pink Panda,'' a pink-flowering strawberry, spreads easily

and makes an attractive perennial ground cover.

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