b'Two levels of mowing microclover, short and infrequent.Photo: DLFTHE BENEFITS OF CLOVER LAWNSSome of the numerous reasons to grow a clover lawn include drought tolerance, sustainability, and its ability to act as an organic fertilizer.Lisa KopochinskiGROWING A BEAUTIFULgrass lawn requires a fair amount oftraditional grass lawns provide no benefits to a pollinator.water and sun. But how about a little luck as well? This is particularly important in the drier months of In an effort to be more ecological, the interest inthe summer (August and September), when other forage clover lawns is gaining in popularity. In addition to beingresources are minimal, she says. Clover lawns can visually interesting with a texture that is quite differentflower late into the season, offering pollinators critical from grass, clover is easy to grow, drought-tolerant andnutrition during an otherwise stressful period. This is a will thrive in both sun and shade. And, if theres a chancetremendous benefit for overwintering pollinators, such of finding a four-leaf clover or two, thats an added bonus. as honeybees. Late-season nectar will allow honeybees While some may view clover as a weed, no one canto continue building their winter stores and late season argue that we must continue efforts to reduce the harmfulpollen will provide nourishment to a developing brood, effects of pesticides. A great alternative is a clover lawn,which will become long-living winter bees.which is both versatile and low maintenance, and helpsCalling clover a workhorse, Kowalewski says it is so reduce the effects of pesticides, which is essential for ourstrong that it tends to shade out other plants. Eventually planet. a lawn could end up as a simple mixture of clover and perennial ryegrass, which allows the look of a traditional Turfgrass vs. Clover lawn with the benefit of clover providing food for pollina-Clover is a sustainable lawn choice because it doestors and nitrogen to other plants.not require nitrogen fertilizer and can survive with little to no irrigation in northern cool humid climates,Types of Cloversuch as the northern United States and Canada, saysWhile there are different types of clover, some varieties Alec Kowalewski, an associate professor at the Collegeperform better for backyards and lawns.of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University inFor instance, Dutch white clover is probably the most Corvallis, Ore. common variety for lawns. Not only will it produce many Conversely, turfgrass lawns require several nitrogenflowers and stay green throughout the years, but it is also applications per year and relatively frequent irrigationpopular with bees looking for nectar. However, this is an for sustained growth and development. However, if youaggressive type of clover with growth that will need to be do not mow clover, it will grow up to several inches. So,closely monitored.weekly mowing might be preferred for those desiring aErin Dale is with Apache Seeds Limited, which is low-profile lawn. based in Edmonton, Alta. She says the company has sold Carolyn Breece, senior faculty research assistant atDutch white clover seed for many years to incorporate Oregon State University, agrees and adds that a cloverinto existing turf.lawnwhen allowed to flowercan offer pollinatorsHowever, there has been a resurgence of interest in nectar (carbohydrates) and pollen (protein). Conversely,monoculture clover lawns and alternative ground covers 30GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2022'