A popular replacement for traditional lawn turf is Clover - and I can see why...
LOW MAINTENANCE
Does not need to be mowed as often as traditional lawns which cuts down on labour and lawnmower emissions making it a cheaper, greener alternative.
NO FERTILISERS
Clover is a fixes nitrogen so it grows well even in poor soil and doesn't require fertilisation which makes it a sustainable option as well as a less expensive option.
COLOUR
Clover has long roots enabling it to access water at deeper levels. This makes it drought tolerant and so it stays green even in the driest summers. Clover also tolerates dog urine without bleaching yellow.
INEXPENSIVE
No need to spend money aerating, irrigating and fertilising your lawn!
Clover tolerates compacted soil better than lawn grass does.
In addition, clover produces beautiful little flowers - and you can feel smug in the knowledge that you are improving biodiversity in the garden.
Although clover lawns do not stand up to heavy traffic as well as traditional lawns, they are fine for most garden areas and work particularly well in more shady areas where traditional lawns would be patchy.
The best clover for lawn use is the Dwarf Dutch White which can reach a height of about 4". Try it today
Tuesday 12 February 2008
ALTERNATIVE GARDEN LAWNS - CLOVER
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1 comment:
I live in Melbourne, Australia and work for arguably Australia's leading garden designer - Paul Bangay (www.paulbangay.com). We use Lilly Pillys as hedges in many of our projects throughout the country. However, they aren't as drought tolerant as you may think.
They originate from temperate rainforest type vegetation throughout parts of New South Wales, where rainfall is very high. I know of many instances where hedges have died due to lack of water. Many people use them in pots and they often die due to lack of water. I would rate their drought tolerance as low to medium. We use Acmena smithii or Syzygium australe (often known as Brush Cherry) - varieties include 'Aussie Southern' or 'Hinterland Gold' which are fabulous for hedging. The problems with the Syzygium compared to Acmena in Australia is that when juvenile the plant is susceptible to insect attack by psyllids which gives the foliage this 'dimpled' look - not nice at all. However they do grow out of this with age.
The other wonderful species we use for larger hedges is the Waterhousea floribunda (often called the Weeping Lilly Pilly but form of the plant is weeping - its just that the foliage weeps a little so quite a deceptive name). They all make wonderful lush dark green hedges.
cheers ben.
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