White Clover
Trifolium repens
Family Fabaceae
A lawn that feeds itself is not a fantasy — white clover fixes its own nitrogen, stays green through drought without a bag of fertilizer, and covers itself in honey-sweet blooms that keep bees fed for months. It's the quiet engine behind the whole clover-lawn movement.
Overseed it into thin turf, run it under fruit trees as a living mulch, or let microclover disappear invisibly into fine grass — everywhere it grows it builds soil and smothers weeds. Few plants repay a handful of seed so many times over. Scatter some and watch.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Drought-tolerant · low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing white clover? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries white clover — Trifolium repens, print Nº 508, “White Clover.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what white clover actually needs.
Hardy inZones 3-10White Clover · Common problems
Common white clover problems
Pests
2 problems on file
- Almost none
- Bean Leaf Beetle
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Almost none
White Clover · Growing & propagation
Growing white clover
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Water
- Moderate
Drought-tolerant once established
Soil- Any
Nitrogen-fixer · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- None
Makes its own nitrogen
Pruning- Mow-tolerant (a lawn alternative)
The classic nitrogen-fixing groundcover and 'clover lawn' — overseed it into turf or orchards and it fixes nitrogen, feeds bees all season, chokes weeds, stays green in drought, and never needs feeding. A permaculture living mulch under fruit trees and a low-mow lawn alternative. 'Microclover' is the fine-bladed lawn type.
Spacing- Broadcast/overseed
How to plant & propagate white clover
- Propagate
- Division or seed
White Clover · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
White Clover · Yearly calendar
The white clover year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMarch to May, then September to November
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
White Clover · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Trifolium repens
White Clover in the garden system
- Groundcover layer perennial
- N-fixer
- Nectary/insectary
- Living mulch
Attracts- Bees
Moisture- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What white clover is grown for
✓ Commonly eatenedible flowers/leaves in moderation
Use- Clover lawn
- Use
- N-fixing living mulch
- Use
- Bee forage
- Use
- Orchard understory
Harvesting & storing white clover
Living mulch / cover crop; edible flowers and leaves in small amounts.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
White Clover · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a white clover variety
'Dutch White' (classic); 'Microclover' (fine lawn type); 'Ladino' (large, forage)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
White Clover
Trifolium repens
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Trifolium repens
- Plant family
- Fabaceae
- Growth habit
- Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- TRRE3
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
White Clover questions, answered straight.
Is white clover safe for kids and pets?
White Clover is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: edible flowers/leaves in moderation. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest white clover?
Living mulch / cover crop; edible flowers and leaves in small amounts.
How do you propagate white clover?
Division or seed.
Elsewhere
Where white clover sits in the library.
Crimson Clover
Hairy Vetch
Phacelia (Lacy Phacelia)
Alfalfa