Ripped up the lawn two years ago but am still filling it in. I have been letting white clover grow because it means less mulch, but I noticed this barberry looks a bit thinner than another one that doesn't have clover growing around it.
Question: is the clover competing too much for resources with my bigger plants? Should I pull it now or let it go? Goal is to buy less mulch, but not at expense of my other plants.
by Impossible_Slide_146
12 Comments
I usually just leave clover alone. You can always cut it back.
where do you live? barberry is extremely invasive in eastern US. Pennsylvania, for example, has banned it from sale. you’d be better off with turf grass than barberry.
Well, clover is a nitrogen fixer so I would guess it’s not competing for resources… Although there are other resources than nitrogen. Is the other barberry surrounded by the same amount of concrete? I like the clover and would personally keep it.
Also obligatory “barberry is invasive” except I also have one 🫠
I love clover as a lawn replacement before moving to native stuff. I’m using clover to fix some parts of my yard where the soil sucks. I’d leave it.
It looks very nice and healthy, I would leave it.
If you remove the clover you’ll have weeds to pull. It’s great ground cover.
Hi everyone,
For context, it’s sterile orange rocket barberry, it barely grows, and I’ve not trimmed it in the 2-3 years I’ve had it.
The weeds I battle on a daily basis are
Pokeweed (constantly digging up)
Spotted spurge
Eastern black nightshade
I hand pull every spring, but they still spread while am away each summer. Hoping the clover can cut back on those three nightmare weeds.
Bees like clover. Keep
Yes and get rid of the invasive Japanese barberry.
I’d leave it but keep it trimmed around the edges. I have a bit of a neatnik in me.
It’s cute and it works, I would keep it.
Clover is great. Keep it. It’s a great natural living mulch. Bees love it. And you’ll be constantly fighting weeds if you pull it. It’s great as is