After having to rid my lawn of five gophers this month it is time to patch things up. The mounds, combined with my awkward efforts to dig and trap the vermin, have made things quite messy. Fortunately, the repair is simple and delightful: clover.
Clover is such an awesome plant to have growing in the lawn areas. It sprouts quickly and covers a bare area in no time at all. It conditions the soil by adding nitrogen from its root nodules. Deep-rooting clover will take hold in hard-packed soils. And during the summer, it stays green while other lawn grasses have withered and browned. Don’t forget the beautiful flowers that honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators love. Clover for the win.
At the nursery you will find several varieties of clover. Here are a few:
Crimsom clover, Trifolium incarnate: This by far is the showiest of clovers. Bright crimson flowers appear in spring. Foliage is bold and plants average 18 inches tall. It is an annual clover, meaning it dies back after blooming. This is a type of clover you would use as a cover crop to improve soil. After plants bloom, it is typically mowed down and turned under.
Alsike clover, Trifolium hybridum: This is a perennial clover that sports pale, pink flowers on low-growing foliage. It reseeds easily. It is a great pollinator plant.
White Dutch clover, Trifolium repens: Here is a clover that works best in lawn areas that need repair from things like pesky gophers. It is a low-growing, creeping perennial clover that sports white flowers all spring and summer long. It’s hardy and easy to maintain.
Red clover, Trifolium pratense: Lest you be deceived by the common name, this clover’s flowers are a deep lavender/pink, not red. This is a beautiful, creeping clover that produces bright flowers in the summer. It is also valuable as a medicinal herb for all kinds of ailments.
Native clover: There are several species of native clovers available through mail-order seed companies. Larner Seeds has the best selection. Native clovers include Trifolium willdenovii, T. wormskioldii, T. gracilentum, T. fucatum and T. ciliolatum. All are excellent choices for a purely native pollinator garden.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
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