Published in The BANAR June 2001
“Clover tends to stay green throughout drought and insects attacks which would damage grass.” Ed Lawrence, CBC Radio “Ontario Today” Gardening Expert and Chief of Greenhouse and Grounds Services, National Capital Commission,
On the evening of May 17th several Blackburn residents gathered at the Community Centre to learn not only about the environmental and health dangers of pesticides, but to be introduced to some very practical solutions for organic gardening and lawn care. Thanks to the organizational efforts of Caroline Harris-McDonald, the speakers from the Consider Clover Campaign, Appleseed and the Governor General’s Greenhouse made informative presentations to the audience.
White Dutch Clover for your lawn Spread White Dutch clover seed on your yard this summer and enjoy a low to no-maintenance, chemical free lawn where kids and pets can safely roll in the clover!
Clover is very hardy, tolerates foot traffic, children’s play and Canadian winters. It thrives in sun or shade and self- spreads by creeping stems to fill gaps. More importantly it is competitive with weeds and dandelions, and is pest resistant, so no toxic pesticides are needed. Ed Lawrence maintains that a lawn with 20% clover will not need any fertilizer since it will provide enough nitrogen to feed the whole lawn.
Because clover is low-growing, mowing is optional. With less power mowing, energy is saved and green-house gases that cause global warming are reduced.
This drought-tolerant plant needs little or no watering and is a “living mulch” that holds moisture in soil and discourages weeds in gardens. Finally, clover is a soil decompactor and has digger roots that loosen up the earth.
The White Dutch Clover can be mixed with your existing grass to fill in bare spots or start a new clover lawn. Seed can be purchased at Ritchies Feed and Seed. If allowed to grow up and bloom, clover reseeds itself, year after year.