Let my backyard go to clover and I've never been happier

[maxrandb]

Fairly large backyard with multiple flower beds, I got so tired of trying to maintain that manicured, suburban, golf-coursian look. Plus the chemicals, expense, work and grass-seed....ughhh!

Saw a show a few years ago about letting nature run it's course and thought, why not?

Know what I had to do to let the clover take over? Absolutely nothing! I just had to stop what I was doing.

With the increased pollinators, my lillies, giant cannas and irises have taken off. Not to mention a vegetable garden that actually produces.

If I get dandelions or chickweed, I just mow with a battery powered mower.

Sorry I don't have pics, but I promised myself to NEVER go down the "how to post pictures on DU" rabbit-hole ever again.

Still keep up the front yard....I'm not a heathen.

Mrs Max adds that she's sure there are other things in my life I've been happier about.

Any other folks tried this?

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I suggested it. Wife vetoed suggestion.

I still lobby for clover occasionally, and our new residence provides plenty of space for trying out patches in low-traffic areas at first.

[peacebuzzard]

10. oops meant to respond to original poster. n/t

[EYESORE 9001]

13. I've been meaning to ask...

Are you related to the door buzzard?
I figure you’ve been here long enough to get the reference. Those were the days.

[peacebuzzard]

15. you mean a poster called door buzzard?

or a real door buzzer?
lol when I worked for the army, I used to buzz people in from my desk after they showed up at the half door for appointments

[EYESORE 9001]

18. As DU threads go, the 'door buzzard' one is epic

I’d look it up and see if it got archived somewhere, but I’m kinda busy right now. It all stemmed from a presumed typo, where the post said ‘door buzzard’ instead of ‘door buzzer’. I swear, it was funnier than it sounds.

[Ligyron]

17. One of, if not THE funniest thread in Du history.

I think it was Codeine who started it with, “ You have a door buzzard? That’s bad ass”!

…and it was on, lol.

[peacebuzzard]

21. well I will have to find it then....

its funny without even finding it...lol

[Dem2theMax]

26. Ask, and ye shall receive. I bookmarked it long ago!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10027423760

[peacebuzzard]

47. that thread is hilarious

and long, and long ago, and I don't think I am 1/3 of the way through yet.
And the poster names are probably different now, and some are not here anymore but the comedy remains...I am going to bookmark it myself.

[Dem2theMax]

50. It's definitely a DU classic!

I'm glad you're enjoying it. How could you not?

[FirstLight]

2. LOL...most of my gardening is "let it run wild"

I just turn on the water from time to time and see what pops up! I am in the hhigh sierra so the soil is pretty bad... and when I moved in it was just dirt and manzanits. I threw out some grass seed the first year and have just let it meander and reseed itself...I dont even mow!, just let it get nice and long and then in the fall it flops over like Trumps hair lmao

I got clover this year to fill in the holes and gaps instead, so I'll let you know how it goes.
I also got a huge lot of native CA wildflower seed for the side yard that gets sun but is pretty blank...

Waiting on my son to get off his butt and help his momma! He's gonna do the raking and help me get big dirt set up so I can sprinkle as needed...
It's also supposed to snow again here next week... ugh. so no real planting till mid/late may!

[peacebuzzard]

11. that is my mantra I have followed for the past 3 years

it was such a waste of money and time.

[maptap22]

3. I am doing the same thing.

I am slowly getting rid of the lawn in the back and eventually I want to just have it as a big garden with paths thru it and sitting areas. It is a slow process because I work fulltime but I figure it will keep me pretty busy when (if) I retire in a few years.

I don't use chemicals and the birds/bees/bunnies/parrots love my yard! (and my dogs).

[wyn borkins]

4. DO NOT Read This Comment as Doing so Will Break Your Promise

Last edited Thu Apr 24, 2025, 01:59 PM - Edit history (1)

~~~ Added Corrections Kindly Suggested By AZJonnie ~~~

After you have created your image and it's ready to upload to DU:

(1) Go to https://postimages.org/

(2) Click on Choose images

(3) (From your computer) select then click your created image

(4) Your image will now be uploaded to postimages.org

(5) Select then copy the Direct Link URL

(6) That URL points to a file on the image posting platform

(7) Check that URL you paste has an ending like .gif, .jpg, or .png

(8) Drop that URL just below your DU posting message

(9) On DU, select Preview to see both your message and image

(10) If all is well, select Post to send your message to us...

[peacebuzzard]

5. thanks for this

going to borrow your photo tip meant for the original poster maxrandb

[AZJonnie]

6. Just for clarity

(5) Select then copy the Direct Link file name

(6) Drop that file name just below your DU posting message

The string from the hosting site that you're pasting into your DU post does contains a file name at the end, but it's more properly called a URL. A URL that points to a file on the image posting platform . Also note that if the url you paste into DU doesn't have an ending like .gif, .jpg, or .png, DU will not auto-preview (i.e. show it to people reading your post, it'll just be a URL). There is definitely a way to GET a link that looks like that from postimages (and imgur) but if what you copied from the hosting site doesn't have that extension, you're not grabbing it from the spot in their application that you want to be.

[wyn borkins]

12. Understood - I Will Attempt A Correction - Thank You So Very Much (n/t)

[maxrandb]

34. Yep! This is the rabbit-hole I was talking about! ROFL

[wyn borkins]

42. And I Can Here You (Laughing) Now

[peacebuzzard]

8. I used to do that....

used to hire all kinds of hands, leaf blower guy, weed eater guy, tree trimming guy. then I realized I didn't have to spend all that money to listen to those gas guzzling weed eaters, leaf blowers, chain saws etc and then have to repeat the dose when it got to the point of "needs to look suburban"
Even though all my neighbors are into that kind of thing I just said to hell with it.
I went out and bought a battery operated leaf blower and maybe used it twice.
I said to hell with that too.
I am in the county and there are no ordinances or condo restrictions on me.

I like the look of soft grass waving in the wind and the bunnies and other critters like it too.

I am into potted plants and have several blooming flowers I am tending to.
But those flowers will be around the house and deck.

that's it. I am saving money and time instead.

[SuzyandPuffpuff]

9. Us too

We've let the majority of our yard wild. Never used chemicals for anything. A daisy field complete with hummingbird bees galore when season ends we mow and churn up bugs. We ALWAYS get compliments on yard and we don't do a thing lol

[Marthe48]

14. My daughter is planting clover in a terraced area

Near their house. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
My own yard resembles the edge of a woodland, mixed grass, weeds, and bare spots. Even if we are way inland, the soil is mainly sand, so nothing grows easily.

[aka-chmeee]

16. My large yard is also very diverse...

Dandelions, chicory, brome, crabgrass, onion grass and more. My view has always been "If it's green and come up out'a the ground, it's good enough for my yard". It all mows.

[maxrandb]

33. A friend of mine that lives in rural NH once told me

"If I ever see trees in a forest, surrounded by a perfectly manicured grass lawn occurring "naturally", I will try to do that with my yard."

[nilram]

19. And dandelions are edible.

The leaves are kind of like arugula, and you can toss the flowers in a stirfry or in a salad. I guess you can make a tea, or a wine, out of the roots but I've never had that.

[Hope22]

23. I love dandelion season.

I can never understand the people who hire folks to spread poison all over the well field! We built back off the road and mow about six times around the house and let the milkweed, Iron weed,Black Eyed Susan, golden rod and such have at the rest of it. The first year we were here this lawn guy kept hounding me to give an estimate on seeding the lawn. His estimate to poison the ground cover, slice seed and fertilize was $3200 and that was thirty years ago! His note that he attached to my door explained all of these steps and he finished with….what you will have is a Lush green lawn! What you have now is a REAL MESS!!! I laughed so hard when I read it. So fun to yank the Chem Lawn guys chain! I think he knew he wasn’t getting the job!!

[Warpy]

20. "Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't"

is one of my favorite YouTube channels. It features a wonderfully potty mouthed botanist with an encyclopedic knowledge of native plants, mostly west of the Mississippi, and frequent episodes on "how to kill your lawn." Since the first thing I did when I moved into my own house was to kill the lawn and encourage the native plants that sprouted here and there, I was delighted to find a kindred spirit. It just never made sense to me to pay a high price to water a lawn for the pleasure of mowing it in triple digit heat. Even with humidity under 10%, that sucked.

I strongly recommend the channel for anyone looking for a reason to kill their lawns and plant sensible things.

[cab67]

22. A lot of people don't have this option.

If you live in a neighborhood with a homeowners' association, there will likely be all kinds of rules against letting this happen.

(Not saying this is a good thing at all - only pointing out that many HOA's regulate landscaping to varying degrees.)

[eppur_se_muova]

53. Here it is against city ordinances. I'd let mine go completely wild otherwise.

Unfortunately, this meant invasive Asian blackberries took over the back yard, and they are absolutely Hell to get rid of. Huge thorns that go right through leather gloves and long, branching stems that get entangled with each other. They are escapees from commercial cultivation, now illegal in some states. Much of the front yard is ground cover, not grass, and I'd like to replace all the grass with this plant which started growing here on its own. Probably need to plant some trees so the grass will not thrive in the shade.

[Botany]

24. Bad idea to plant clover it is a non native invasive unless you live in Europe.

Last edited Thu Apr 24, 2025, 03:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Just a little knowledge. FYI. Good idea to lose the lawn though.
Plant what is native to your area. Biodiversity and make your system
work through out the year by providing blooms for pollinator, in some
areas you can help out fire flies by giving them habitat before they develop
Into the lighting bugs, and putting things back into the earth such as water,
carbon, needed fungi, and other stuff is what to do.

[maxrandb]

29. Didn't plant anything. It was already there

Mostly white clover, buffalo clover, with a mix of yellow flower chickweed, purple nettle, some ivy, etc. I just keep it mostly mowed low.

Started with a couple of lillies in one bed. They spread to an area of about 30 square feet. I have even had to take some and transplant elsewhere. Same with the yellow and purple iris. They just exploded and cover another large area.

With the clover and "weeds" providing ground cover, I have not had crab grass for years.

[relayerbob]

25. I personally love clover

I have no idea why people get so bent about it. It's easy to maintain, super healthy for the soil, has pretty little flowers, and feels great to walk on.

[Diamond_Dog]

28. You gotta watch for those bumblebees, though!

[relayerbob]

45. I can get it, if one is allergic to bee stings, for sure

Fortunately, I and my family are not. Bumblebees, unlike yellow jackets/hornets, are not aggressive, I have them flyint around my blueberry bushes and other plants all the time, they don't ever bother me, they just fly away.

[Cirsium]

77. The problem

The problem is that when you just "let your yard go" it can become a vector for alien plants that can and will invade other areas. That is a destructive force and there is an ongoing and expanding crisis of habitat loss and the impact that has on biodiversity. So, not to shame anyone, and people are going to do whatever they want to do, but it would be nice if people at least were willing to learn about the problem and consider doing the responsible thing.

Trifolium repens - European clover - is in my experience a relatively minor problem in restoration projects, but that is only in comparison to some of the really nightmarish problem species such as Autumn olive, Myrtle, Spotted knapweed, Japanese pachysandra, Bradford pear, etc. Myrtle is spreading rapidly here and displacing dozens of native woodland species. That seriously degrades the habitat.

If a person wanted to keep Norway rats in their yard as pets, I guess that is their business. But should the neighbors be forced to deal with that when the rats inevitably come into their yard? A lot of time and work and resources went into protecting and restoring some natural areas here. Is it fair that someone next to the preserve plants Myrtle or Japanese pachysandra that then migrates into the preserve and requires expensive mediation? Or should we not bother trying to preserve or restore natural areas? Should we not bother trying to protect species that are at risk?

There are some big money commercial interests involved in this discussion, the landscaping, lawn are, pesticide, ride a mower, weed whipper, and nursery industries, and they are fighting back against those who are trying to encourage people to be mindful and responsible about the environment. They will win, of course, as they have the money and the influence and have thoroughly brainwashed the public, but we soldier on for the benefit of those who come after us and hopefully will live in a more enlightened time.

[relayerbob]

79. Not sure I suggested letting it go

As an organic gardener for over 30 years, I get your point, but it’s sorta misdirected here.

[Cirsium]

80. I wasn't crticizing you

...

[relayerbob]

81. Sorry

Hard to have normal conversations these days with so much stress online everywhere.

[Cirsium]

82. Understood

Lots of stress, yes. No problem. I'm sorry that what I wrote came across as criticism.

[Diamond_Dog]

27. Our rather large backyard gets mowed

But that’s it. It’s full of grass, clover, dandelions, violets, as long as it’s green it stays.

We never put poison out to kill weeds because we have a dog.

I could never live where there’s an HOA. My son’s ex gf parents lived in a HOA neighborhood where they’d write you up if your grass was too tall. They sent people around with rulers and measured it!

[peacebuzzard]

69. you gotta be kidding

rulers to measure your grass? I would blow up on that one.
I can understand in a highrise with concrete walls and floors separating everybody, but in a house with yards?
rulers for the grass length?

I would be packing.

[Trueblue Texan]

30. Let my cilantro and broccoli rabe go to seed...

…flowers drew lots of beneficial wasps and for the first time living on this property my yellow squash is actually bearing! I’m very excited to let my cool weather crops go to seed and help out the warm weather harvests.

[Nittersing]

55. When I let my broccoli go to flower

My dog chased a bee and ended up with a mouthful of broccoli.

He really likes broccoli.

[peacebuzzard]

71. beneficial wasp sounds like an oxymoron to me

I am terrified of wasps I have had a couple of wasp nests on my property and have been stung more than once.
I am mortified of their nesting areas.
I never thought of a wasp as a pollinator

[Trueblue Texan]

72. the beneficial wasps look more like tiny flies than wasps...

they come from some kind burl (not sure what it's called) often seen on the underside of oak leaves. They're actually quite pretty with that iridescent green color on their thorax and tiny tinker bell wings. They don't sting and you could never mistake them for a stinging wasp. Don't kill them if you see them--we need more pollinators, especially with bees doing so badly.

[peacebuzzard]

73. The only thing I spray with dawn dishwashing liquid are those big red wasps that make nests

those huge hornet nests (can be huge)
And I hate to say this, but also those yellow hornets! I have holes on the outside of my house from those critters trying to get inside the house.
And they will sting too. So out comes my dawn liquid or any dish washing liquid will kill them.
They are not innocent bees. I know, my bad, because their population is diminishing but I don't want them making more holes in my house. Last year they
settled in the ground in my yard and that was ok. I left them alone but knew exactly where they were living. I got stung from one of them once ...It was awful.

I wouldn't kill a pretty green color Tinker Bell.

[Trueblue Texan]

75. those you describe definitely do not sound beneficial! nt

[maxrandb]

84. I have a bed with herbs like mint, oregano etc. The tiny wasps love them when I let them flower

[stollen]

31. Dandlions are bees first food in spring.

See if any bees come back.

[Cirsium]

32. Good for you

We run an organization dedicated to that. You can send me a private message if you want more info.

Plants that are native to your locale support pollinators, moths, and butterflies, and nesting songbirds while alien plants will not for the most part. Presuming you are in North America, clover is an alien species. I am not too aggressive in removing it, as it does fix nitrogen and is an early source of nectar.

The native Common blue violet (Viola sororia) does an excellent job of replacing a lawn, so well that people see it as a weed in their lawn and it is neglected as a result. It spreads by rhizomes - underground "runners" - and can fill in an area pretty quickly. It is the larval host plant for Fritillary butterflies.

Here is what our front yard looks like now:



In the back row left to right there is Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susan), the Spotted Joe Pye weed (Monarch favorite here by far as they fuel up for the trip to Mexico). In the middle ground left to right there is Sweet Joe Pye weed, Boneset, and Sneezeweed. The blue blossoms here and there are Lobelia.

In the front row left to right we have more Sweet Joe Pye weed and Lobelia, White snakeroot, then Culver's root - the white "spikes"- and in the lower right we have Jewelweed, which is the favorite nectar plant for Hummingbirds here.

In the background the foliage is of Red honeysuckle, Thimbleberry, some Viburnums and Dogwoods, Maple and Yellow Birch, among others.

All native to this area, mostly from seed. We have close to 300 native plant species on our property, and an amazing array of nesting songbirds - Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, Black-throated Green Warbler, Redstart, etc.

[maxrandb]

37. Maybe my use of the word clover is wrong

I am in the mid-atlantic region. We have Carolina, Buffalo and White Clover that is native.

I didn't plant anything. I just stopped trying to eradicate what was already there. Clover, yellow flower chickweed, purple nettle and violet.

[Cirsium]

43. Yep, very good

There most definitely are native clovers in the Piedmont region. We have a member of our organization doing a restoration near Raleigh. Lots of species we don't see here.

From the North Carolina extension service:

Trifolium carolinianum, or Carolina Clover is a native wildflower that is typically found growing in lawns, along roadsides, in cemeteries and in thin, sandy pine or scrub oak woods. It is often confused with White Clover. Although a native of coastal North Carolina, it has not been spotted for an extended period of time. The closest location where it can be seen growing is in South Carolina, near the North Carolina border.

Trifolium reflexum or Buffalo Clover is a North Carolina native perennial in the bean family. A rare plant that was once abundant, it has seen a strong decline in the past few decades. In North Carolina, it has been given a State Threatened status. On the rare occasions that it is located, it is seldom in large stands. It tends to become shaded out by taller species as well as declining for no apparent reason.

It would be pretty interesting if you have one of the rare native clovers there.

Common Chickweed and Purple dead nettle would be no surprise, they are in every lawn in the country I think. You may well have Common blue violet in your lawn.

[Botany]

38. Good job!

A very nice mix of natives and by leaving them standing up till the next spring season you
make the system you built work for nature and build a functioning ecosystem. Leaving them standing up
In the winter fixes water, and gives homes to all kinds of good things.


Nice work… Culver’s Root is da bomb.

[Cirsium]

44. Yes

This time of year visitors take one look at last year's brown shoots and just assume I am lazy and not taking p[roper care of the property. But come July it's a different story.

Last year we watched Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, and Red-eyed Vireos feeding their fledglings with caterpillars from the Boneset and Goldenrod.

[LymphocyteLover]

35. My son has done this at his house

[Figarosmom]

36. Clover smells so nice

My granddaddy used to grow it for the cows along with alfalfa and other stuff. I loved laying in the field and just smelling and looking up at the clouds.

I'm doing wildflowers in the back yard and for years I let the side yard go to the milkweed and ferns. Marnarchs love milkweed for their cocoons

[MiHale]

39. I plant clover on purpose along with my 'grass'...

It sets the nitrogen in the soil reducing your need for any fertilizer. Pennington Seeds has a grass clover mix. I use micro clover and regular white. With enough of the micro you can actually reduce mowing cycles.

Links…

https://hancockseed.com/products/micro-clover-seed?currency=USD&variant=44626698830048&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&stkn=50c9701b09f1&srsltid=AfmBOoqpN0SlxfohDEsdhaMAAsHbfR735IRAIyUKixhpaixtKfBFpFP37sY&gQT=1

Pennington Seeds
https://www.pennington.com/all-products/grass-seed/smart-seed-clover-plus-grass-mix

[crud]

40. In the winter, I let the oxalis grow in my yard in Sacramento

When the temp. gets over 80 it all dies off for the summer, and the grass gets a chance to grow if you water.

[58Sunliner]

41. I wish I could do this, but we have Bermuda grass. Invasive and chokes everything out. I use mulch in some areas.

I have raised beds for produce and a flower and herb bed that I have planted with creeping thyme. I only use organic products. Front yard I need to use lawn seed. I just mow it.

[AllaN01Bear]

46. where i live , someone has converted their front yard to a vegtable garden

i have no idea what it looks lieke in the back yard.

[peacebuzzard]

48. my neighbor has 2 chicken coops in her yard

And I get all the eggs I want for free.
I think I will plant what will thrive in chicken fertilizer. I will be be able to get an endless supply of free fertilizer

[onethatcares]

58. my neighbor has 3 chickens.

she doesn't share the eggs which is ok with me because she gives me a 5 gal bucket of manure for my veggie garden every 3 to 4 months and all the shells I want for soil amending. Win win situation.

I give her tomatos , peppers, and whatever she likes to eat when it's in season.

[peacebuzzard]

70. 3 chickens might lay 2-3 eggs daily in the summer

they kind of don't produce much in cold weather.
But my neighbor has probably 20 chickens and now ducks also. (little ducklings are so cute)
She is getting more because she just ordered the really big coop from somewhere, and of course, it will be right on our property line.
But I don't mind at all; I need to figure out is which plants grow well in the fertilizer because we will have a very fertile property line.
And even more eggs!
I might go into the egg custard tart business. (I only eat egg whites)
This arrangement is so much better than having bad noisy asshole neighbors. (Like the nasty ones on the other side of me who, well, never mind....I can't stand them and I look away everytime they drive by.
Give me a chicken farm next door anytime.

[onethatcares]

74. compost the manure before

putting on your garden. I think it's too "hot" from the chute to the dirt, At least that's what I read somewhere. All I can say is that as a soil amendment it has worked for me.

Good luck and great gardening.!

[peacebuzzard]

76. ok. thanks for the tip. I'm kind of like the green acres lady

a city girl who doesn't know what to do in the country except get in my car to go do something.
and fill the bird feeder.

p.s. I did grow tomatoes in a planter one year though and another year I actually put them in the ground; that was fun.
It is not a yearly routine, though.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

49. Lawns are the stupidest thing ever

Golf course grass omg.
We need to ]rewild the lawns let clover take over,scatter wildflowers plant some trees , put up bat boxes and for fucks sake stop the neurotic mowing on saturdays at 7:30 am.

[NJCher]

51. yes, yes, yes, and yes

And stop the gas powered leaf blowers, too.

The first thing I did outdoors with my house after I bought it was get rid of the lawn. Replaced it with shrubs, flower patches, raised beds, grasses.

[J_William_Ryan]

52. "Any other folks tried this?"

Yep.

Back of the property well behind the house – about a quarter of the back yard.

No mowing, vegetation is chest-high.

[Ferryboat]

54. Clover and moss

Mostly moss.
House was built in 1911, so the lawn was well established when we purchased in 2016.

[cab67]

59. In most neighborhoods....

....you'll get ticketed for that. Or you'll get fined by the HOA.

I absolutely agree that this should be done, but unfortunately, too many places won't allow it.

[GP6971]

61. Speaking of ecosystems....do you recycle pizza boxes?

[GP6971]

65. You're behind on today's technology. Might want

to go to your local library and check it out.

[Lulu KC]

62. I'm with you on this one

Especially the leaf blowers.

[Luciferous]

57. I actually put down clover seed last year

My neighbors probably hate me, they all pay to have their yards sprayed. I also have a pollinator garden in the back 🙂

[cab67]

66. was it a native species of clover?

[Luciferous]

67. No, but my dogs and the bees like it

[cab67]

68. If I may make a friendly recommendation -

Add some native clover along with what you planted next year. You'll have better luck attracting native pollinators. (Most of the bees we get on invasive clover are European honeybees. I like them, but there are lots of native bees that are just as fascinating and beautiful.)

[viva la]

78. I'm trying it now.

I've never been able to get a decent lawn out of this rocky soil. Then last winter, the utility companies were doing a lot of digging in my street, and the whole front yard got torn up. So I researched "ground cover" and came up with crimson clover. I'm sowing it now. Already there is growth. And it's pretty!

Will it come back next spring? What do I need to do so that I don't have to reseed every year?

[pansypoo53219]

83. we embrace weeds. lots of violets we didn't plant. allium we didn't plant. clover. sadly the moss is gone.