What I want is a nice little rectangle of lush green grass. A place for your eye to rest and to pull the backyard garden together. What I have is a patch of clover with a little grass mixed in. Most of the time I can overlook this, after all the little leaves are nice, kind of like a tough ground cover. But this time of the year, when the clover blooms, the lawn gets messy, visually busy with white dots all over it. I hate it!
I realize that clover helps to maintain the health of the garden soil by fixing the nitrogen and attracting animal life and healthy microorganisms that flourish in a clover lawn. Plus the bees love it and it doesn't require nearly as much water as grass does to remain green. But it's just so darn messy! I don't do well with messy.
I don't know if it'll help you - but I learned I was mowing too short for the cool-season grasses in my lawn - 3.5 to 4 inches is apparently better for them and makes the roots grow much deeper. I think I've started to see the grass overtaking the weeds - except for the creeping charlie - but that is another story.
ReplyDeleteOh, I see the beauty. I look at the clover, and I think how soft it must feel to walk on. If that's what my garden looked like when it was messy, I would rejoice. You are going to be mortified when you see my garden, but you'll feel much better about your "mess"
ReplyDeleteMy yoga instructor has some kind of ecofriendly mix instead of the traditional lawn that includes clover. She is so proud of it. But I hear what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of your dog always makes me smile.
Thank you for the lesson on the value of clover in the lawn - I feel so much better about all of mine now. I'd really like to rip all my "grass" out and put in crushed granite or another permeable surface but that's too big a project right now. So the bees benefit this year!
ReplyDeleteHi DG~~ Personally I don't have nearly as much of a problem with clover as I do dandelions. To me, the dreaded weed on a stick looks messy and gives a lawn an unkempt look, like the owners don't give a rat's @$$. Your lawn on the other hand, has tiny white flowers but more importantly, it's green, even [horizontally], there are no mole hills or yellow spots [where animals peed], and most important, the edges are trimmed very neatly. If I were there I could easily plop down and take a nap. Honestly, it doesn't look messy at all... But if you really need to do away with those white blossoms, you can do like my friend once suggested to improve the look of a lawn: green spray paint. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI don't see messy at all.
ReplyDeleteI see easy care , environmentally friendly beauty.
AnnF, oh gosh...you may be right, I do mow pretty darn short. Maybe I can try moving it up bit buy bit (baby steps)...thank you for the tip!
ReplyDeleteMortified Megan? I sincerely doubt it. So when am I going to see your garden? (hint hint)
Tatyana, I have to admit that the doggie in the header picture isn't mine. My pug is black and the goggles just don't show up on her face and look as cute so we substituted a fawn pug. We do talk about getting another so who knows maybe someday I can switch out the picture for mine.
Jane, we have talked about ripping out this last little patch of grass and seeding or laying down sod. Maybe someday. I am so OVER ripping out sod as it feels like I've ripped out acres.
Grace, me too, hate them! I'm lucky as I wiped out most of the those uglies...I HATE how this time of the year the folks who let the grass go dormant end up with a patch of tall dandy's. Spray paint! Wow...never thought of that...tempting!
DD...I do like easy care...and I did forget to mention that Lila (the pugster)loves to attack the blossoms if you tear them off and toss them at her. That is kinda fun.
Well it looks pretty in the photo anyway!
ReplyDeleteI wish our sickly lawn would turn into such a beautiful clover patch. Instead, we get a haphazard mix of chickweed, weedy foxtail grasses, dandelions, and thistles.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was Irish moss when I first saw it!
ReplyDeleteK&V, you know I thought the same thing..."gosh it doesn't look as bad in the picture..."
ReplyDeleteqbc, ok I feel lucky by that comparison. I'm a bare foot person and except for the possibility of stepping on a bee the clover is very foot-friendly. Your patch sounds painful.
Sylvana, oh that would make me really happy!!!!
You'd hate our St. Augustine lawns in Austin, I'm afraid. The blades are long and tall, and you can't mow it too short without making it brown up from thirstiness. Much messier than your lovely, clover-studded, fine-grass lawn. Count your blessings! (Does that make you feel better about it?) :-)
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