A little bee gathering pollen from a flower in a growing field of white clover.
I really wanted an alternative to typical monoculture turf. (fucklawns)
How it started
This part of the yard is south-facing and primarily clay.
How it’s going
It’s taking time, but I’m slowly turning my little corner of the world into a safe haven for bugs and critters. In late fall, I planted around 200 bulbs in this area (and around 300 total) as the beginning of my pollinator garden.
Naturalizing pollinator garden
Plant life includes:
- Trifolium repens (white clover)
- Sedum spurium ‘Fuldaglut’ (Fulda Glow Stonecrop)
- Daffodils
- Snowdrops
- Winter Aconite
- Crocus
- Blue and yellow dwarf iris
- Larkspur
- Star of Holland
- Grecian windflowers
- Fritillaria meleagris (guinea-hen flower)
- Muscari armeniacum (blue grape hyacinth super sak)
- Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’
- Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’
Clover pros
- Calgary has had “Stage 4” water restrictions for the entire month of June (critical water main break), which meant no outdoor watering; my clover has been thriving, despite the full sun south exposure
- Attracts all of the pollinators
- Put an end to the soil errosion I was experiencing
- Grew in cracked clay with no soil ammendments
- The flowers are cute
- Fewer plants I don’t like
- Stays short enough that I don’t have to mow often; I have mowed twice in six months and this is not microclover
- Some of my pets like to eat it
- Spreads
Clover cons
- Need to stop and “un-clog” the lawn mower because the clover retains so much moisture
- Spreads
- My neighbours may not like me