For the past few weeks, as I mowed my lawn, I have noticed beautiful flowers growing where they probably shouldn’t be growing, like violets and buttercups. This week I saw clover blooming. Clover is not at all a weed, but many consider the delicate plant to be invasive. Not me. I plant clover whenever I have a patch in my yard that may need some grass seed.
Clover is one of the great pollinator attractors. Honeybees love clover and I love honeybees.
Clover is in the legume, the pea family. It is a perennial, but can die out because of insects, disease, and improper nutrients. Acidic soil will kill off clover. A dusting of lime will help. That’s why I resew often, to keep the clover bloom growing. And keep the bees coming.
Farmers love clover, one of the best hay crops of all. Farmers also turn under clover as a “green manure”, to add nutrients to the soil. When we were at Burnside Farms a few weeks ago, they had acres and acres of thick cover growing. I asked what they were going to do with all that clover, and they said they would soon turn it under and plant their tulips there for the next season
The little, white clover flower is certainly not as stunning as a violet or buttercup, but we need more clover, not less.
Keep a pack of clover seed in your shed and toss out a handful ever so often. The bees – and your plants – will thank you and if you find one with four leaves, you might just win the Lottery.
