Planting of Clover - Ask Extension
I have a 400 square foot area on my property in Ellicott City that is surrounded by landscaping timbers and used to be the location of the swing set. ...
Knowledgebase
Planting of Clover #871578
Asked June 04, 2024, 4:46 PM EDT
I have a 400 square foot area on my property in Ellicott City that is surrounded by landscaping timbers and used to be the location of the swing set. I am not into raising vegetables, as too much effort is needed to keep the wildlife (e.g., deer and rabbits) from eating the produce. A friend of mine suggested I plant clover in the area, as it only needs mowing about 3-4 times a year and can withstand many hours of direct sunlight. Is clover considered an invasive plant in Maryland?
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Clover can be mown, but does not require it. When mixed with turfgrass, a type called "microclover" is recommended, since it doesn't out-compete the turf as readily, but using any clover by itself is not recommended. Since it loses leaves in the winter, the exposed soil might erode a bit (though clover roots will hold some of it), and it might accumulate weed seeds that can germinate before the clover resprouts to compete with it. Additionally, no clover used in or in place of lawns is native in North America. Which species are considered invasive is sometimes inconsistent across different states and agencies/organizations, but as an example, Maryland Biodiversity Project (which takes invasive status cues from reliable sources) does not flag any of the clovers (genus Trifolium) that grow in Maryland as invasive.
Fortunately, there are a wide variety of ground-covering plants tolerant of a full sun exposure, though few that also tolerate regular foot traffic the way turfgrass does. We recently revised our groundcovers page to include some sample lists of species to consider for certain site conditions, both native or non-native (which includes some species native to the region but not to Maryland in particular). A mix of species is preferable to a single species planting, since a mixture will be more resilient due to varied vulnerabilities and stress tolerances of the species in the group.
Gardening with rabbit browsing pressures is admittedly challenging, in part because there are more reference lists for plants unpalatable to deer than there are for rabbits. (That, and the animals don't read those lists, and can always surprise us with what they choose to nibble or taste.) Therefore, while plants listed in the page linked above do note which are less likely to be eaten by deer (though there is never a guarantee), we don't have a similar notation for those avoided by rabbits. In general, plants with fuzzy, strongly-scented, or prickly foliage are left alone by most browsers, but you might have to experiment or try repellent until new plants are established. Incidentally, rabbits seem to enjoy eating clover.
Miri
Fortunately, there are a wide variety of ground-covering plants tolerant of a full sun exposure, though few that also tolerate regular foot traffic the way turfgrass does. We recently revised our groundcovers page to include some sample lists of species to consider for certain site conditions, both native or non-native (which includes some species native to the region but not to Maryland in particular). A mix of species is preferable to a single species planting, since a mixture will be more resilient due to varied vulnerabilities and stress tolerances of the species in the group.
Gardening with rabbit browsing pressures is admittedly challenging, in part because there are more reference lists for plants unpalatable to deer than there are for rabbits. (That, and the animals don't read those lists, and can always surprise us with what they choose to nibble or taste.) Therefore, while plants listed in the page linked above do note which are less likely to be eaten by deer (though there is never a guarantee), we don't have a similar notation for those avoided by rabbits. In general, plants with fuzzy, strongly-scented, or prickly foliage are left alone by most browsers, but you might have to experiment or try repellent until new plants are established. Incidentally, rabbits seem to enjoy eating clover.
Miri
