The traditional grass lawn has long been a mainstay of the traditional home garden. A luscious green natural carpet is the centerpiece of many a garden, and most of us struggle to imagine a garden without one!
However, some of us might want something different in our garden – a white clover lawn could be a perfect substitute for a grass lawn!
Advantages
There are many advantages to having a white clover lawn in your garden.
It’s Different
Having a white clover lawn certainly makes a change from a normal grass lawn! Perhaps you want to have the lawn experience in your garden, but you’re also looking for something unique and special?
A white clover lawn could be the perfect thing to add to your garden. You’ll get much of the same things you expect from a lawn – namely, a luscious, green area in your garden that’s perfect for recreation and relaxation.
However, you’ll also have something that’s more likely to be uniquely yours -after all, most people still have traditional grass lawns.
So, if having a garden that stands out from the crowd a bit is something you enjoy, white clover could be the way to go for you!
Attracts Bees
Bees! Fuzzy, happy little creatures, and some of the best friends a garden can have! Nature’s little pollinators are sure to love a white clover lawn. In fact, it could be one of the best ways to attract them to your garden!
So, as well as making your garden a great place for you, the addition of white clover to your garden could also help you play your part in making the world a better place – after all, we’d be in trouble without bees, so it’s good to give them all the help that we can!
Less Watering
White clover doesn’t need anywhere near the same amount of water as a traditional grass lawn. In fact, in most parts of the U.S., it resists drought so well that it can easily remain green at the start of the frosty months.
In fact, in the South, it just may well remain green for the entire winter! This could well make it be perfect for someone who wants a lawn, but is concerned about minimizing their environmental impact.
Less Mowing
One of the worst things about any garden can be the sheer amount of work needed to keep it looking at its best.
Savvy gardeners are always on the look out for ways to make their time spent in the garden more efficient. After all, when it comes to hard work, doing less of it is always a good thing!
White clover, then, could save you a lot of sweat in the garden – and give you more time to relax and enjoy your lawn!
It only grows to 8 inches tall at most, so you won’t be pushing the mower round the garden anywhere near as often. Depending on your preference, you might even be able to get away with mowing as little as once or twice per season!
Outpaces Weeds
However we might tend to think of weeds, when it comes down to it, a weed is just a plant that you don’t want in your garden.
The problem with them is, they’re often very good at growing, and taking all the goodness of the soil and light away from the plants we actually care about!
Well, one of the handy things about clover is that it loves to grow!
If you don’t want it in your garden, it can be something of a weed itself – but if you’ve intended to plant it, then it’s tendency to grow well could make it out-pace many weeds, actually helping to make your garden a neater, tidier place!
Feels Lovely Underfoot
While not everyone is a fan of walking in their garden barefoot, some absolutely love it! The feel of the lawn under your feet can be a wonderful experience.
Well, if you like the feeling of walking on grass, you’ll love how soft and luxurious walking on clover can feel! Try it out – it could well end up being the thing you love most about your new white clover lawn!
Disadvantages
Despite all these great, positive points, a white clover lawn might not be the right choice for you.
Low Durability
Unfortunately, white clover just isn’t as hard-wearing as a traditional grass lawn.
If your lawn sees a lot of frequent foot traffic – for example, if it’s part of a pathway, or if you regularly play sports on it – then maybe white clover isn’t the best choice for your lawn. In which case, you might well be better off sticking with grass!
Reseeding
Another disadvantage of white clover is that it’s a short lived perennial. What does that mean when it comes to putting it in your lawn?
Well, the long and short of it is that you might well have to reseed it every few years. This can be less of an issue in mixed lawns, with a combination of both grass and clover – the clover should be able to reseed itself adequately.
However, in a pure clover lawn, reseeding after a few years might be something you have to do yourself, in order to keep your lawn in top condition.
Stains Clothing
One of the things everybody knows about playing in the grass is that it can easily stain clothes. Clover can actually be more staining than grass – which can mean more washing clothes!
Attracts Bees – Bad For Allergies!
Although bees are great for the planet, they’re not great for everyone. Bee allergies can be extremely serious, and can make life with a garden difficult for those who suffer with them.
If you’re allergic, you’ll likely not want to add anything to your garden that makes it more likely for bees to turn up – which might well mean that, out of the two, you’ll be better off with a normal grass lawn.
Conclusion
White clover could well be the best thing to add to your garden to make it unique! Whether replacing your lawn entirely, or mixing in some white clover in addition to the grass, it could well transform your lawn – or even your entire garden!
