WTB Sweet Sensation Strawberry plants - where to buy?

[Julie]

My daughter loves strawberries and this is the only variety that i've had success with here.  Does anyone know where I can buy these?  Thank you very much.

[FloridaManDan]

Gurneys has them available for preorder for next year. I think there are better varieties for your zone though.

[Julie]

What better varieties?  I've tried Chandler and Sweet Charlie & they didn't grow/produce well, they weren't strong varieties.  Any help would be appreciated.

[roblack]

What varieties do the famers in Homestead grow? That might be our best bet for now.

I've had zero luck with strawberries so far.

[Julie]

What varieties do the famers in Homestead grow? That might be our best bet for now.

I've had zero luck with strawberries so far.

I'd like to know the answer to that as well.

I've had success with Sweet Sensation, Chandler and Sweet Charlie were not good growers in my yard.

[FloridaManDan]

Festival (Everbearing) and Camarosa, to my understanding, are the other known cultivars that will do well this far south. I had luck with my White Alpine strawberries here, but got rid of the plants to make space awhile ago. A few other people I traded seeds with on Facebook in Central FL had luck with them though.

I have probably just enough of the white alpine strawberry seeds to send to you two if interested @Julie @Rob.

[roblack]

Just called Knaus Berry Farm, they only grow Florida Sensation strawberries. They sell plants, but won't have any till beginning of next season (Nov 2023).

[Julie]

Just called Knaus Berry Farm, they only grow Florida Sensation strawberries. They sell plants, but won't have any till beginning of next season (Nov 2023).

Wow..thank you Rob for calling them - what did I tell you though, sensation is the best variety lol

[Julie]

Festival (Everbearing) and Camarosa, to my understanding, are the other known cultivars that will do well this far south. I had luck with my White Alpine strawberries here, but got rid of the plants to make space awhile ago. A few other people I traded seeds with on Facebook in Central FL had luck with them though.

I have probably just enough of the white alpine strawberry seeds to send to you two if interested @Julie @Rob.

Thank you!  I will look into those cultivars as well.  I plan to order some Sensation strawberries from Gurneys like you recommended.  For the alpine strawberries, are those as sweet as the red ones?  I'm growing them for my daughter and she probably won't eat them if they're not red (extremely picky)

[FloridaManDan]

Hopefully this upcoming year you end up having better luck with the sensation. The alpine strawberry is not as sweet as the red ones, but its really good and flavorful. Similar to pineberry if you've seen those in the stores, although that seems to be a more recent commercial addition so not many areas offer them yet.

If your daughter is picky I probably wouldn't waste your time attempting to grow them lol, but some kids like them cause theyve never seen a "white strawberry" before.

[roblack]

Are Sweet Sensation and Florida Sensation the same thing? My lackluster search did not reveal the answer.

[Julie]

Are Sweet Sensation and Florida Sensation the same thing? My lackluster search did not reveal the answer.

Yes I'm almost certain.

[Julie]

Hopefully this upcoming year you end up having better luck with the sensation. The alpine strawberry is not as sweet as the red ones, but its really good and flavorful. Similar to pineberry if you've seen those in the stores, although that seems to be a more recent commercial addition so not many areas offer them yet.

If your daughter is picky I probably wouldn't waste your time attempting to grow them lol, but some kids like them cause theyve never seen a "white strawberry" before.

Unfortunately time is limited for me or else I would try lol.  Thank you for your recommendations though.  Since strawberries grow in the winter I'll grow the plants I get in Feb 23 up and have them for next winter I guess - wish I could get them sooner but they are hard to find

[FloridaManDan]

Hopefully this upcoming year you end up having better luck with the sensation. The alpine strawberry is not as sweet as the red ones, but its really good and flavorful. Similar to pineberry if you've seen those in the stores, although that seems to be a more recent commercial addition so not many areas offer them yet.

If your daughter is picky I probably wouldn't waste your time attempting to grow them lol, but some kids like them cause theyve never seen a "white strawberry" before.

Unfortunately time is limited for me or else I would try lol.  Thank you for your recommendations though.  Since strawberries grow in the winter I'll grow the plants I get in Feb 23 up and have them for next winter I guess - wish I could get them sooner but they are hard to find

Julie, theres still hope! was doing some reading and it looks like there is a cultivar released in 2018, the "Florida Brilliance", that outperformed the Sweet Sensation (aka Florida127) in terms of heat tolerance, fall yield, and fruit quality (juicy, firm, longer shelf life). The only thing Sweet Sensation performed better for was producing slightly larger fruit size. There is also Florida Radiance, but that one seems to be the bottom of the bunch.

With that, I'd say grab a few Florida Brilliance. They are all sold out commercially online, but it seems two sellers on Etsy still have a few plants available at the moment. Good luck

Are Sweet Sensation and Florida Sensation the same thing? My lackluster search did not reveal the answer.

Yes they are the same cultivar, formally Florida127