Gardening
Related: About this forumI've decided to start replacing a section of my back yard lawn with clover
I have a big and very shady maple tree that has defied every attempt to re-grow the grass. My niece suggested buying some bags of clover seeds and let that take over. Sounds like a great and environmentally friendly solution.
Does anyone have any experience with doing this? I figured I'll put down a layer of fresh soil and mix in the seeds just before Winter arrives.

MiHale
(12,088 posts)Love walking on a blanket of clover. Pennington seeds has a grass clover mix, I havent used it yet.
Heres the company I use..Hancock Seed. They have regular white clover too.
https://hancockseed.com/products/micro-clover-seed?currency=USD&variant=46526889754848&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=50c9701b09f1&srsltid=AfmBOoquT2xcWGMur3m1kDgVEpcuBbuIW4dyCd1cvdI4q1K9-spUq3SE39g
bucolic_frolic
(52,084 posts)I chopped out the surface roots and the grass grew back. Can't cut all the roots it would harm the tree but a few in an area seemed to work well.
viva la
(4,252 posts)I've had some success this summer with crimson clover. But then the utilities company came and tore the whole neighborhood, and it mostly died. My ground is rock hard though, and I'll try your technique of mixing with fresh soil. I think there's a kind of perennial clover that is for fall planting.
There are other groundcover plants also, like creeping thyme, but I haven't had much success with those.
Shady lawn, sandy ground-- nothing much works.
JustAnotherGen
(36,743 posts)In the spurs where the ivy has been pulled and killed under a very large for tree.
Our Maltese seems to like the way it feels on his paws.
unc70
(6,460 posts)I had one house where we encouraged a small patch of moss to takeover much of the yard where even weeds would not grow.
EYESORE 9001
(28,871 posts)I guess Im OCD, since I wont tolerate grasses trying to gain a foothold in that clover.
cbabe
(5,463 posts)irescuebees.com
https://irescuebees.com how-to-grow-clover-for-bees.html
How To Grow Clover For Bees?
Jun 15, 2025To plant clover for honey bees, prepare the soil by removing grass, weeds, and other vegetation. Seed can be spread and raked in, with the
Four leaf clover
https://m.
Kaleva
(39,760 posts)SWBTATTReg
(25,627 posts)and such start falling off, branches breaking off. This is not counting when the maple tree starts sapping (it feels like a mist under the tree). We had a maple tree but the reason we took it out was that it grew in a spot we didn't really want a tree at (between us and the neighbor (maples do get bigger, prone to branches and such breaking off, not good if you park a vehicle underneath)).
Good luck to you on the clover. If anything, you'll attract rabbits and such, they love the clover.
Luciferous
(6,492 posts)of years ago. My dogs and the bees love it 😀