Hello. We have a 1/4 acre property in the Kawartha Lakes region, located in Ontario, Canada. We would like to plant miniclover seeds as we understand they are low growing, green and tolerant…something we need in a cottage environment.
Where do I buy the seeds? I have looked everywhere but can only find a place in the US and they don’t deliver to Canada.
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners with your inquiry.
Over the years we have been pleasantly surprised to see a growing interest in alternatives to grass in backyards.
This topic has previously been researched by Toronto Master Gardeners. Excellent information can be found here:
“Microclover is a variety of white clover (Trifolium repens), a native of Europe, but used in North America for a number of purposes, including erosion control, forage, crop rotation and, more recently, a lawn alternative. It grows well in our climate, even on sandy soils.
For more information on white clover: https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_trre3.pdf.
Microclover was developed in Europe to meet the demand for lawn alternatives. When mixed with perennial grasses, such as rye grass, it’s proponents say that it grows into a durable cover, with the added bonus of most legumes, the ability to fix nitrogen. The difference between microclover and its parent plant is that it is shorter, has smaller leaves, and doesn’t bloom as much. The latter would mean less of a problem with bees, which some folk might not like in their lawn.
For more information on microclover: https://www.microclover.com/upload/microclover_brochure_web_1_001.pdf
I haven’t found a Toronto retailer, but OSC Seeds in Waterloo, now carries this product:
https://www.oscseeds.com/detail/index.php?Proid=6737&Clink=sub-category/index.php?thirdID=TC0420
Seeding lawn with microclover should occur from mid-April to mid-May, for best results.”