The Best Clover for Groundcover in the Pacific Northwest

Red Clover

• Red clover is the most abundant groundcover grown in the world as well as in the Pacific Northwest. Since this variety of clover has a high tolerance for winter temperatures, it will grow well into the winter and then again early in the spring. This quality makes it a good relay crop, enriching the soil until growers plant a cash crop in the same area.

New Zealand White Clover

• New Zealand white clover is a good plant for many areas within Washington and Oregon. It grows well in areas away from the coast with dry soils low in salinity. This clover acts as a groundcover by sending out stems that root out at their ends. As a medium sized clover, the New Zealand variety acts as an annual with short roots that rot away over the winter. However, the plentiful seed in the soil sprouts early in the spring, covering the same area again.

Strawberry Clover

• Strawberry clover is a better plant for covering fields in areas near the coast where salt spray covers the surrounding landscape. This clover grows well in wet soils, extending its roots around 3 feet into the soil. The combination of moisture and salt tolerance combined with a higher resistance to heat make strawberry clover a perfect groundcover where other plants would struggle.

Alsike Clover

• Alsike clover is a plant native to Sweden and therefore cold resistant. This plant does not form mats like other clovers but flowers profusely along its stem, setting out new seed constantly through the growing season. In areas with waterlogged soils, the alsike clover thrives even on acid soil, sending its roots deep into the mud. Perfect for areas where the high moisture makes tilling almost impossible, alsike clover seed sprouts from surface sowing, living through frost heaving and susceptible to almost no pests or diseases.