clover in the lawn used to be encouraged - it's true!

 

Above: a large patch of clover in my lawn stays greener than the grass all summer and doesn't mind being stepped on.

I have written about the benefit of clover in lawns before - I have purposely dug up clover from my garden and the occasional back alley source and brought it home to plant in my small lawn.  Clover is a nitrogen fixer which means it takes nitrogen from the air and puts it in the soil where it can be used by plants i.e. grass. Plus, I don't mind the look and the flowers even smell nice!  It can take over the whole lawn for all I care.

My friend and I were just chatting about this the other day and I told her I had read in several places (but hadn't seen any hard evidence) that clover used to be a common plant in lawns until the pesticide industry convinced us that it was a weed.  Now I have an actual reference thanks to this excellent post from May Dreams Gardens!

Comments

[plantman]

Just don't use KBG. Using fescue is waaay better for Calgary's climate. I bought sod from Terra Turf three years ago for the backyard when I moved and it's all fescue - and has held up tremendously. I never water it.

Unfortunately they got bought by Manderley. Ah well.

As for clover, it does well in poor soil but if your soil is in good shape it tends to get overtaken by the grass. I used to have a ton in the front yard (it was very poorly maintained by the previous owners), and overseeding (with fescue!), adding a ton of compost and judicious use of slow release fertilizer have really put a dent into the clover.

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Thanks plantman, great information again! Yes, it is true that Kentucky Bluegrass is not the best choice for our climate.
And now you know how poorly my lawn has been taken care of! Actually, I don't believe I've done anything except throw some compost on it once in a while in the 7 years I've lived here. Oh, and plant some clover once in a while. Once the major construction projects are done in the yard I might get around to aerating it regularly and overseeding with fescue. Good advice. In the meantime, I am enjoying the clover!
Janice

[Belstaff Abbigliamento UOMO]

well this blog is great i love reading your articles.