Posted by
ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jun 30, 2020 9:17 AM concerning plant:
White Clover is a common little forb in fields, meadows, roadsides, waste areas, and in lawns in much of North America; originally traveling over here from Europe. Its flowers and leaves grow on separate stalks from creeping runners (stolons). Its rounded heads of white, pea-like flowers are pure white or tinged with pink. The trifoliate compound leaves have a pale triangular mark on each leaflet. The flowers are definitely loved by honeybees, and used by some other pollinating insects. Rabbits love to feed upon them and other mammals. There was a time in the early 20th century where White Clover was purposely included in seed mixtures of turf grasses for lawns because it blends well with turf grasses and fixes nitrogen into the soil. In more modern times it is almost universally considered as a lawn weed that is eliminated or mostly eliminated from lawn by weed & feed applications. I decided two decades ago to not weed & feed my lawn and I let this 'Lawn Companion" grow in my lawn areas. It is perfectly suitable to be part of a turf or lawn, adapted to mowing. This forb can cause a little trouble by creeping over into the woody plant and flower borders, but it is not really bad like Creeping Charlie that creeps a lot into borders.
Posted by
crittergarden (Surprisingly GREEN Pittsburgh - Zone 6a) on Jun 15, 2014 5:27 AM concerning plant:
White clover is essential food for our pollinators.
With pollinators in danger of disappearing, always leave some clover for them to feed on!
Plant more, if you can.
Posted by
Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Sep 17, 2015 5:45 PM concerning plant:
Introduced from Europe, now found naturalized in much of the U.S. in fields, lawns, and roadsides. Important food source for many caterpillars. May be used as a green manure or cover crop. All parts are edible. An infusion of leaves may be helpful for colds or coughs.
Posted by
Johannian (The Black Hills, SD - Zone 4b) on Jan 11, 2022 8:50 PM concerning plant:
Range: throughout. Additional info: this is a common Clover in lawn-seed mixes.
Posted by
Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Sep 4, 2013 9:06 PM concerning plant:
Nowadays I have to order clover seed on the Internet to have it in my lawn. Years ago, all grass seed mixtures contained clover, but these days people seem to want a golf course looking lawn. Not I. I plant white clover in the lawn so that it flowers and attracts the honeybees.
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