In March, everywhere but outside has pops of green. Shamrocks, leprechauns, green garlands, and four-leafed clover emerge ahead of springtime. These decorations displayed to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day are a welcome sight during Calgary’s snowiest month. They offer a pleasant reminder that the first day of spring is upon us. In a month or so, with spring rain, yards will green up, too. Then we can start to hunt for four-leafed clovers.
Growing up on what was an old farmstead, my lawn was not a manicured monoculture of green grass. Instead, it was a mixture of grasses and flowering plants that were mowed into a “lawn.” As soon as things greened up, I searched for four-leafed clovers.
Both red and white clover are typically trifoliate, meaning they have leaves with three leaflets. Occasionally, these plants will produce a leaf with a fourth (or more) leaflet. It has been determined that white clover is more likely to produce the extra lobe and create a lucky charm.
White clover mingles well in groomed, grassy locations, making them more likely to be noticed by seekers of the four-leaflet variety. Four-leafed clover could become more common with the recent trend of incorporating clover in lawns. Clover is more drought-tolerant than grass and is a strategy for keeping your lawn green in the drier, warmer months.
In Calgary, when mid-summer temperatures rise and rain is scarce, most grass lawns, without supplemental irrigation, go dormant. Dormant grass lawns are brown and crispy. White clover with roots that grow deeper than traditional lawn grasses remain green longer.
Both red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (Trifolium repens) were brought to Canada from Europe to be used in agriculture. There are native prairie clovers, but they are in a different genus. Alberta has Dalea purpurea, purple prairie clover, and Dalea candida, white prairie clover. The leaves on these plants are very narrow. The plants are noticed for their tall cone-like flower heads rather than their easily over-looked leaves.
The prairie clovers make a nice addition to a native plant garden or meadow. Their seeds can be ordered online from local native plant nurseries. Their sowing instructions include “scarification” to improve germination. This means that the seeds benefit from being scuffed a bit to break the seed coat. Put the seeds in a jar with sand and shake it to scuff the seed, then sow.
Because these plants are local and hardy, they can be winter-sown, starting in March. Winter sowing is a technique for planting seeds outdoors during the winter. To winter sow, get a four-litre milk-type jug. Poke drainage holes in the bottom and vent holes near the pouring hole. Cut the jug open from one side of the bottom of the handle to the other, leaving the 2 cm area just below the handle as a hinge. Fill the bottom of the jug with damp potting mix, sow with 16 seeds. Tape the jug shut, remove the lid and place the jug outdoors. It should be in a bright spot. The jug acts as a mini greenhouse, so I find placing it out of direct sunlight works better as the temperature swings will not be as extreme. I like to put my jugs where they will catch my eye so I will remember to check on them. It is important to keep the soil moist, especially later in spring when plants start to grow. When the soil is workable, you can transplant them to the garden.
Whether four-leafed or typical, introduced or native, clovers are plants that can do well in a Calgary yard.