I have noticed a couple of examples of clover being used as an ornamental groundcover--one in north-central China on street medians and again in little patches surrounding trees in a formal courtyard area at the Terracotta Soldiers Museum. There is some in the street medians on Crown St in Vancouver, too. What are the best species/cultivars of Trifolium to use for this purpose? Species should be hardy to zone 4, grow to a maximum height of about 16" and knit together well enough to prevent invasion by other weed species. Thanks Tracy
I have seen dutch white clover (sorry I dont have the cultivar or correct botanical name on hand) for sale at garden centers as potential ground cover where european chafer is feared. (seeds that is)
Trifolium incarnatum may be good. I think there is some on Wallace Street, a block over from Crown. It is in Thompson and Morgan catalogue for $4.45 (US) for 50 seeds also in West Coast Seeds catalogue for $5.30 for 500 g - as a cover crop, described as crimson clover. If this is the variety I have seen it is attractive, much deeper red than ordinary clover. I tried trifolium rubens from Thompson and Morgan, attractive erect plant with long flowers, not as deep red as the other variety and have not seen any tendency yet to knit together (but I planted as individual plants last fall so it hasn't had much opportunity to spread). T&M describes both as hardy perennials, West Coast Seeds says incarnatum is hardy annual which will overwinter. Bob
