We've already converted most of a backyard lawn patch to use for a mini food forest (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, squash and herbs). For the remaining lawn area around the fabric planters, which gets good sun in summer and less in winter, we'd like to cultivate a natural somewhat durable lawn replacement. Clover is a very prolific ground cover in local parks (the clover we see has a pinkish-purple color). Would clover be a good option? Is there a place to get clover seeds?

Besides this natural lawn, we have many native perennial flowers planted, a maple tree and we're planting Eastern Red Cedars, which make for a great food source and shelter for many species of birds and mammals.

Hi! Ontario gardener here. I’m feeling disappointed after looking at West Coast Seeds ‘bee turf’ and other lawn alternative mixes - the company is based in BC, yet the mixes are full of species native to Europe and Asia rather than North America. I want to decrease the grass while keeping “lawn” by seeding with low growing plants that aren’t going to contribute to the creation of future invasive species. I dont want to pat myself on the back for adding more floral species while causing other problems. Any recommendations?

It’s that time of year again when lots of people are getting out and gardening. We usually see a big uptick in the number of posts asking about clover lawns, native lawns, and other lawn alternatives. So let’s try and answer some of the common questions and talk about what has worked well in your yards!

Some clover facts and FAQs:

• The most common clover used in lawns is white clover (aka Dutch White Clover, micro clover, trifolium repens). It’s native to Europe and the Mediterranean region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens

• The above-ground growth of clover dies back in freezing temperatures and regrows in the spring time. This can create muddy patches of lawn in the winter, which can invite other plants to germinate in the clover. In warmer climates this isn’t a problem.

• Since clover is not native to North America, the ecological value of white clover is pretty low. It’s similar to dandelions in that they are both non-native and early-flowering lawn plants. Bumblebees and honey bees (also not native) do get some value from the flowers, but native bees prefer native flowers and plants.

• Question: Are there any native clovers?: Yes. There’s quite a few native trifolium species: https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Trifolium (green is native, blue is not). However you may struggle to find these native species in the quantity you’d want for a lawn. There’s also some native plants that have the common name clover, like prairie clovers: https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Dalea however these are generally too tall to grow in a lawn, and wouldn’t likely tolerate foot traffic.

• Question: If I don’t plant clover, what else can I do to support pollinators?: Native plants have evolved alongside our native insects and birds for thousands of years. Many of us learned in school how monarch butterflies feed on milkweed plants: if you don’t have milkweed, you won’t have monarchs. This plant/insect relationship is extremely common. Some plants have a bigger impact on their ecosystem than others; these are called “keystone” plants. Planting a small pollinator garden or just landscaping with native plants is an excellent way to support your local ecosystem. Checkout NWF’s guides on the Keystone plants for each ecoregion here: https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion you can also take a look at the wild ones garden designs here: https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/ these show several good examples of home landscaping with native plants (for each location). Note that most of these designs include an area of lawn!

• Question: Are there other native lawn alternatives?: Yes, though location matters a lot here. The western half of North America, there are a lot of shorter prairie grasses that can be grown as a lawn. Buffalo grass, side oats grama, and blue grama are all good options. Here’s one guide for installation: https://www.cityofames.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=49586 In Florida and parts of the southeast, frog fruit is a good option. Sedge lawns can work in some areas too.

Feel free to ask more questions and share your experiences! We have a few different wiki pages on this issue, but I think it will be good to open this issue up to the sub and see what people say. Have you tried other lawn alternatives? Do you like clover in your lawn areas?