Anyone in North San Diego County growing a White Clover Lawn

I'm going crazy here... I have been reading so much about the wonders of a White Clover lawn but I don't see anyone in California doing it... Those in other states seem to swear by it and proclaim its' wonders. Is there anyone here in North County (Escondido specifically) that has a White Clover lawn? We are once again in a drought and the water will most probably be rationed at some point, I am just getting started with putting my landscaping back together after a long drawn out remodel (that still isn't done) on a little house built in 1905 and need to hold the dirt down. I want to be a responsible person and not be wasteful and am researching ways to be "water-wise".

Ya know, I tried that several years ago (also trying to be environmentally responsible). It wasn't QUITE as invasive as bermuda grass, but it came darn close. It sends out runners, and they get into beds and climb bushes. And if you don't keep it mowed, the flowers go to seed. So I ended up doing away with it.

I had my own "long drawn out remodel" of my back yard last summer/fall, and put in gravel paths between raised beds, and a tiny little postage-stamp of sod. Of course, I'm not done either...LOL!

I was planning on the same thing. I went to the nursery, where I am a very good customer ofcourse, and the owner said he wouldn't sell ME the seeds.
I was wondering why, and he said it is so invasive, he said I will have it forever, and my neighbours too.
He advised me beans instead, they correct the nitrogen in the soil, fix it, and they can scramble nicely. At the end of the season you can work them in the soil.
Christie

Or I have used hairy vetch as a temporary cover crop. It's an annual legume, and also fixes nitrogen----it may not be annual in your climate, though.

If you're trying to cover bare soil temporarily, I'd recommend you either find an annual cover crop, rather than a perennial like the clover, that you can mow down and leave as a mulch. Either that or just mulch heavily.

If you're looking for a drought-tolerant lawn alternative, High Country Gardens has some that you might find interesting. I'd do more research if I were you!

A good drought tolerant lawn substitute is Carex pragracillus, Carex pansa or Carex spissa...those are available in San Diego Cty...Haven't tried the clover myself but it sounds like a nightmare.

I appreciate all of your input, and have found you are right about the invasivness of the clover - and also found out that my neighbor is deathly allergic to bees, so no clover lawn for me! also looked into the suggestions by andymaycen - and discovered that the lawn subsitute suggested needs lots and lots of water - they would not be a good choices as lawn alternatives for me... so I've got the clay all amended, and the irrigation will go in soon (as soon as $$ allows) in the meantime, I've got a bunch of dirt just staring me in the face whilst the rest of the neighborhood is aburst in bloom... ahhhhhhhhhhh

I have white clover in my front landscape and have had it for over 8 years. Beginning of spring has to be mowed for several seeks and then settles down. I control the runners and have not had it climb bushes. I let it go to seed and it has not invaded my neighbors and does not attract any more bees than my Jasmine.

skwinter, thanks for your post! I think I'm going to go ahead a try experimenting with the the clover... I can always get rid of it if it doesn't work out right?!

If I had lawn, I would put white clover in it regardless of the downside. It makes me happy to see clover mixed in with the grass. Haven't had that since N. Calif. and Washington

Good idea shewelder. I love my white clover and dichondra lawn. I was having a problem with my back landscape grass so I added dichondra and white clover. The clover and dichondra blended in the bare spots. I love it. I will take a picture tomorrow and show you both the front which is white clover and dichondra. And a before and after of the back grass. Good luck.

skwinter-
I'd love to see that pic, when you get a chance to take it
:0)

I just completed photographing several different areas. White Clover, Green & Silver Dicondra and Australian Violet. I have the clover and the Australian Violet in direct Las Vegas 112 degree heat with maybe 5 percent humidity, at the most, right next to the concrete driveway. When it is raining here our humidity is the most 30%. As the ads say, it is a dry heat. The Australian and White Clover love the heat. They do well in the direct 112 degree but does get a little ragged by mid August. All my landscape is on automatic sprinklers and drip. It is also very mulched. I have shade from two story homes on both sides, and I have planted trees to provide shelter. I think the mulch is the main factor. I have more foliage and a smaller water bill than the majority of my neighbors. Silver Dichondra. At the top of driveway. Sorry I cannot spell Dichondra and spell check cannot pick it up.

Clover.

Australian Violet.

Dichondra at the front gate. Shaded by large African Sumac's, but you have to watch for the roots. Clover, Dichondra, please someone send me the spelling, and Australian Violet. They are all shallow roots and are better off than deep root cover.

Let me know if this helped. I did not get to this solution in one year. I have been in Las Vegas since 1960 and finally got the "how do you garden in Southern Nevada" after 10 years ago.. I was raised in Pioche, Nevada and graduated from Lincoln County High School May 16, 1960. I did not know much, but I did know if you were there three days after you graduated, you were stuck there for the rest of your life...The day before, I packed my bag and made arrangements to get out of town. I graduated and was down the road to Las Vegas the next day. I was going to be an "executive secretary" but that was not my bag. I worked for idiots that blamed all their mistakes on me, "the secretary". I started in Mortgage Banking when there were only 7 mortgage loan officers in Las Vegas and I was the only woman. Boy those gentlemen did not know what hit them. I was in Mortgage Banking until 2005 when I retired from JP Morgan Chase after 23 with JP Morgan and 35 years in Las Vegas. I tell all that will listen that God came down and kissed me on the forehead and stated, " You are going to be the first female loan officer of the western United States. And you will love it". Which I did.

skwinter-
great photos, and great job!!

I love them all. Of course I already loved dichondra(and yes, you are spelling it right).

If you see the red line under dichondra it is only because you've not yet set your dictionary to"know" this word. Just right click, and then click "add to dictionary", and it will add it to your dictionary as an accepted word and spelling.

As for the Australian violet, I sure do love it, also! I started using mine in brugmansia patio trees as a "spiller" over the edges of the large pots, but by midsummer they are trailing all over the ground, so decided to let it grow in a protected spot in the ground, in the greenhouse, and am loving it.

It sure is pretty when it is blooming, and the leaves remind me a lot of a frilly dichondra :0)

sk what do you use for mulch, and how does your silve dichondra handle your winter temps? It may be just the thing for a shaded area in my front garden that I've been trying to figure out what to do with. And I even have seed already!!

The mulch I use is Garden Bloom Organic Compost, Clay Breaking Mulch. I get it in 3 cubic feet large bags at Plant World. I have not seen it anywhere else. I also use Starbucks coffee grounds. Nothing is to good for my worms. I do not pick in up in their 3 pound containers. I go by once a week and get a gigantic bag with about 15 pounds in it. I have about twenty bales of the mulch in my garage, 3rd car side, which is my gardening storage area. I have that many bales because a very happy neighbor, who I helped their landscaper, LOL, rehab their back yard. I take no pay so they had twenty bags delivered. Actually, I could not think of a better gift for me. My Silver Dichondra does beautiful in full summer and winter. We even had snow last and it was not phased. I planted one 3 inch pot and it took off. We have dug up large shovels full to use in someone landscape. I just fill the hole with miracle grow garden soil and the hole fills right in. I do the same with Australian Violet.

Hey, thanks Plano Texas seed picker. I followed your instructions and Dichondra is now OK. I should have the name seedpicker. I am always going where I find seed pods and helping myself. If it is on private property, I ask. I have a whole large container full of seeds. My holding garden is full of plants so I am going to ship some seed down to the Southwest Round-up. The photo is a Desert Hibiscus. I have seed. I have never started from seed but have planted some and they are coming up, They multiply like a bulb but they are not a bulb.

sk, thanks for the details. I have a MAJOR worm bin, and a compost bunny too. I think this may be just the thing for the area in the back of my front pond! Thans!!

OK, but you must tell me why your thread name is imapigeon. My thread name is my corporate name which was ingrained for 35 years. Pigeons are not in. What is the message, You want to be feed poison, feed at the park or shot from the sky? I do not understand. Let me in on this secret.

There's an old Monty Python skit about clay pigeon shooting. I have it on vinyl.
I've been a potter since before then; I named my business Clay Pigeon Pottery.
I love birds----I'm not fond of feral city pigeons. But they are adaptable and trainable---that's me!