Ornamental · Fabaceae
White Clover
Trifolium repens
A low, self-feeding carpet that greens up the lawn, feeds the bees, and asks for next to nothing.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
40–90 days
USDA 3–10
Overview
White clover is a creeping perennial legume from the pea family, and it shows up everywhere from manicured lawns to roadside verges. It spreads by stolons, stems that run along the soil and root at each node, so a few plants soon weave into a dense, low mat. The trifoliate leaves carry a pale V-shaped watermark, and round white-to-pinkish flower heads sit just above the foliage.
What sets clover apart is that it makes its own fertilizer. Working with Rhizobium bacteria in its roots, it pulls nitrogen from the air and feeds both itself and the plants around it. That is why gardeners mix it into lawns, run it as a cover crop, and lay it down as a living mulch under vegetables and orchard trees.
It is also exceptionally tough. White clover handles cold down to -29°F (-34°C), shrugs off mowing and foot traffic, and greens up a lawn with little water or feeding. The main trade-offs are that it spreads where you may not want it and draws bees right down at ground level while it blooms.
Care
The short version: give white clover full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil, keep it watered through a hard drought, and skip the fertilizer since it makes its own nitrogen. Mow or trim to hold it low.
Light
White clover does best in full sun but happily takes partial sun and even partial shade. More light gives you a thicker stand and more flowers, while a shadier spot still fills in, just a touch sparser.
Water
Keep the soil moist but well drained, watering roughly every 5 to 10 days in dry weather. Established clover handles drought, though a long hot spell can leave it brown and thin. It usually recovers on its own once the rain comes back.
Soil
Clover is not fussy and grows in a wide range of soils, but it prefers a moist, fertile, well-drained loam. A pH of 6.0 to 7.0 suits it, and good drainage matters more than richness since the plant makes its own nitrogen.
Temperature
This is a remarkably hardy plant, taking everything from -29°F (-34°C) in winter up to about 95°F (35°C) in summer. That range is what lets it grow across hardiness zones 3 through 10.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is all it needs, so there is no number to manage. Clover handles dry air and damp alike as long as the soil stays evenly moist.
Feeding
Here is the payoff of a legume: it needs little to no fertilizer because it fixes its own nitrogen from the air. The one thing worth doing is coating the seed with Rhizobium where those soil bacteria are missing, especially in warmer zones.
Pruning
Mow or trim clover to keep it low and tidy, and it takes the cut without complaint. Regular mowing also knocks back the flowers, which is handy in play areas where barefoot visitors and foraging bees might cross paths.
Repotting
none
Size & spacing
White clover stays low, reaching only 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) tall, but each plant creeps outward by stolons to cover 1 to 3 feet (30 to 100 cm). That spreading habit is what lets a thin seeding knit into a solid mat in one season.
When to plant
Clover is hardy and easygoing about timing. Sow it straight outdoors in spring or in late summer, leaving about 40 days before the first hard frost, and it greens up within weeks. Flowers follow from late spring through fall, peaking in early summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Not typically started indoors; direct sow outdoors.
- Plant: Spring or late summer; allow about 40 days before first killing frost for late-summer seeding.
- Harvest: Late spring through fall (peak early summer); round white to pinkish flower heads.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–10
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
White clover rarely gives trouble, and most of what people call problems are really questions of where it grows and who it draws. Match what you see below, then decide whether to manage it or simply let it be.
Clover browning and thinning in a dry spell
Clover roots sit shallow, so a long, hot drought leaves the foliage brown and patchy. The good news is the stand usually bounces back once rain returns. Water deeply through the worst of it to hold the soil moist, then let an established patch recover on its own.
Fix:
- Water deeply during prolonged drought to keep soil moist
- Allow established stands to recover naturally once rainfall resumes
Clover creeping into the lawn in spreading patches
Those mats come from creeping stolons, stems that run along the ground and root wherever a node touches soil, so a few plants quickly knit into a patch. Low soil nitrogen tips the balance in clover's favor over hungry grass. If you want the clover gone, feed the turf to thicken the grass and treat with a broadleaf herbicide containing fluroxypyr or clopyralid, which works best in fall.
Fix:
- Decide whether clover is desirable (eco-lawn) or a weed before acting
- Fertilize turf with nitrogen to favor grass over clover
- For removal, apply a broadleaf herbicide such as one containing fluroxypyr or clopyralid, most effective in fall
Bees working the flowers underfoot
White clover blooms are a magnet for honeybees and bumblebees, which forage right at ground level all through the bloom. That is a win for pollinators but a worry for bare feet in play areas. Mow off the open flowers before kids are out, wear shoes on flowering patches, and leave some clover unmown elsewhere so the bees still have a meal.
Fix:
- Mow before or during peak bloom to temporarily remove flowers in high-traffic or play areas
- Wear shoes when walking on flowering clover
- Keep some unmowed clover elsewhere to support pollinators
Toxicity
Good news for most households: white clover is non-toxic and even edible. Cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and people are all safe around it, and the young leaves and flowers have long been eaten in small amounts. The only real caution is for grazing livestock and horses, where heavy feeding on lush stands can cause bloat or a harmless drooling called slobbers.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Nothing to worry about here. A cat that nibbles a leaf or flower will be fine, since clover holds nothing that troubles them.
Dogs None
Safe for dogs to sniff, chew, or roll through. It is a non-toxic plant, so a curious mouthful causes no harm.
Horses Mild
Clover is good forage for horses in normal amounts. Watch heavy grazers on lush stands, since clover can occasionally carry a fungus that triggers the harmless but messy drooling known as slobbers.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit favorite and a healthy treat. Both the leaves and flowers are safe to graze.
Livestock Mild
Excellent pasture, but a belly full of lush, wet clover can bring on bloat in cattle, sheep, and goats. Look for a swollen left flank and obvious discomfort, and ease ruminants onto rich stands rather than turning them out hungry.
Birds Safe
No concern for birds. Hens and other poultry can peck at the leaves and flowers without any trouble.
People Safe
The young leaves and flower heads are edible and have long been eaten in small amounts. Clover is safe for people, with no toxic parts to avoid.
Safe for cats, dogs, and people. Note that lush white clover can cause bloat in grazing ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep) and clover can occasionally accumulate cyanogenic glycosides or fungal infection affecting grazing animals, but it is excellent forage and not poisonous to pets or people.
Varieties
White clover comes in a few sizes, from tall forage types down to tiny lawn selections. These are the ones you are most likely to meet.
Ladino clover
A large, vigorous forage type that grows two to four times taller than the intermediate clovers and fixes the most nitrogen of the bunch.
Dutch white clover
The common low-growing lawn clover, around 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall, easygoing and tolerant of summer heat.
Microclover
Small-leaved turf selections like Pirouette and Pipolina that stay low, flower less, and blend almost invisibly into a lawn.
Companions
Clover pairs well with plants it can feed. Its nitrogen-fixing roots support neighboring grass and crops, which is why it turns up in lawn mixes and as a living mulch.
Plant near
turf grasses (fescue, ryegrass): Clover fixes nitrogen via Rhizobium that feeds neighboring grass, reducing fertilizer needs in lawn mixes.
vegetables and orchard/vineyard crops: Low-growing living mulch that suppresses weeds and enriches soil with nitrogen.
How to propagate
Clover is about as easy to multiply as a plant gets. You can scatter seed or simply let it spread itself across the ground.
SeedEasy
Spring or late summer (about 40 days before first killing frost) · Establishes within several weeks; full stand in one season
Most clover is sown straight onto the ground in spring or late summer, leaving about 40 days before the first hard frost for a late sowing. Where the right soil bacteria are missing, especially in warmer zones, coat the seed with Rhizobium first. A new stand fills in within a few weeks and covers fully in a single season.
DivisionEasy
Spring through early fall · Quickly, as stolons root at the nodes
Clover also spreads itself, sending out creeping stolons that root at every node into a self-repairing mat. You can lift and move rooted pieces any time from spring through early fall, and they take hold fast because the roots are already formed.
Myths
Clover is just a lawn weed that should be eliminated.
Clover earned its weed reputation in the era of broadleaf herbicides, but the plant is far more useful than that. It fixes its own nitrogen, feeds pollinators, and asks for almost no inputs, which is why gardeners now seed it on purpose into eco-lawns, bee lawns, cover crops, and living mulch.