How to Plant a Clover Lawn

I’ve designed, installed, and continue to manage two meadow lawns to date. Through these gardens, as well as my own study in nature and research in references, I’ve learned a lot about what makes an effective meadow garden over the last few years.

With growing interest in waterwise gardening and water conservation, homeowners are looking for alternatives to water-hogging lawns, which are not always necessary or practical. Turfgrass can often be replaced by native grass species, ground covers, or hardscape materials and still meet your individual needs. When selecting lawn replacements, it is important to consider the various roles lawns play in the landscape and plan accordingly. Lawns provide valuable environmental services such as soil stabilization and erosion control, and they have a cooling effect on the local environment. From a design standpoint, lawns play an aesthetic role, creating openings or voids that help shape the landscape. Finally, lawns provide an area for kids, pets, and adults to play.

Mowing may be time consuming but is a critical part of maintaining a vigorous lawn. Healthy, well-managed grass not only looks better, but is more resilient to drought and other stresses. Proper mowing practices promote lush, dense turf by stimulating shoot and root growth. Lawn mowing encourages lateral shoot growth, resulting in a thicker lawn that is better able to combat weeds. These benefits are impacted by how often you mow the lawn. Mowing at regular intervals based on plant growth makes your ongoing maintenance faster and easier and ensures your lawn remains healthy and vibrant.

Maybe you’ve already been living your best brat summer, or maybe you’re finally hyped up enough to give it a go—either way, we’ve got the plants to make all your techno-tinted dreams come true. Lime green is definitely having a moment, and if you aren’t familiar, Charli XCX’s hit album, “Brat,” has inspired everything from memes to fashion trends to presidential campaigns to countless TikTok videos. But we’re here to turn pop culture into plant cultivars, so get ready to infuse the now world-famous album cover’s green hue into your plant palette. Read on for the leafy lovelies you can add anywhere from bookshelves to backyard borders that will wrap up your summer with a botanical banger.

If your lawn is looking a little sad or sparse this year, June bugs may be to blame. These beetles emerge from the soil in spring or early summer, earning the common name of May or June bugs. “June bugs are a type of scarab beetle, with several species found in the Southeast,” says Shimat V. Joseph, PhD, associate professor of turfgrass and ornamentals, department of entomology, at theUniversity of Georgia. “They release pheromones for mating so you’ll typically see them congregating on the side of a building, often near a light.”

Chances are, if you have a lawn, you have crabgrass! This fast-growing weed thrives despite heat, humidity, or drought conditions. “It’s a prolific seed producer,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass extension specialist at theUniversity of Georgia. “If you do nothing about it this year, expect a higher and more dense population of crabgrass next year.”

Fall armyworms (Spodotera frugiperda) are not a welcome visitor in the Southeast. They often appear in large numbers inlate summer to early fall and make the ground appear as if it’s moving as they devour every bit of vegetation in their paths. “They will march across your lawn, just like an army,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass extension specialist at theUniversity of Georgia. “The adult moths are not a turf issue, but they lay eggs which become voracious caterpillars that can decimate a lawn and heavily damage certain types of turfgrasses.”

Scented ‘Angel’s Trumpet' flowers (top) in Benedict Foley and Daniel Slowik's cottage garden are perfect for a night garden

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