Hello Richard.

Thank you for your questions.

Question 1 –

The images do not seem to show any holes in the leaves to indicate the boxwoods are being damaged by insects or birds.

Therefore, my best guess is either winter damage or a type of blight.

Boxwood can be susceptible to winter injury from extremely cold temperatures, from prolonged periods of excessive wind, and even from salt applied close to these shrubs for ice control on sidewalks or driveways.

Winter damage requires pruning of the affected areas.

Boxwood blight is caused by a fungal pathogen.

This condition was first detected in the United States 12 years ago on the East Coast, and was first identified in Ohio four years ago in Cincinnati, and has been identified on boxwoods in the Central Ohio area.

Boxwoods infected with boxwood blight rarely recover and typically must be removed from the landscape and destroyed.

Before removal, positive identification of the disease should be confirmed. Gardeners may submit samples from suspect plants to Ohio State University’s Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (ppdc.osu.edu) for diagnosis.

Question 2 –

There are quite a few different types of clover.

White clover is predominant in Ohio.

Per the USDA, white clover is seeded at 2 pounds per acre with grass for stabilization on moist soils.

You can start from scratch or add clover seeds to your already existing lawn. If you've got grass thatches in your lawn, you might want to rake them out.

You can use lime, compost, fertilizer, or whatever else you want to make the soil as ready for action as possible.

Aim to plant sometime after it starts warming up and at least a couple months before the first frost.

It doesn’t need much water once it starts growing.

Below is the USDA link that contains quite a bit on information about white clover.

https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_trre3.pdf