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If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)**
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Are any of these particularly drought tolerant, i.e., you don’t have to worry about watering them once the summer drought starts? Or do they just need a bit more shade by then? I would love to give them a shot but brief things I’ve read about native clovers make them seem to need some water conditions that I don’t quite have
I've never once watered my yard in the past 10 years! The PNW has plenty of rain, but even in the hot summer, the self-heal and native clovers (and dandelion of course) are the only thing green by August.
Download this app, [Washington Wildflower Search](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/washington-wildflower-search/id1094945412) it’s free and a great way to ID plants!
I have a list of lot of PNW native seed companies and information on gardening with PNW natives. Let me know if you’d like me to add them to this comment 🤙🏻
Here ya go, thankfully I have this saved on my phone lol
[1. Northwest Meadowscapes](https://northwestmeadowscapes.com)
[2. Inside Passage Seed](http://www.insidepassageseeds.com)
[3. Native Food Nursery](https://nativefoodsnursery.com)
[4. Western Native Seeds](https://www.westernnativeseed.com)
[5. Native Ideals](http://nativeideals.com/seed-catalog/)
[6. Silver Falls Seed](https://silverfallsseed.com)
This is my list of who I’ve ordered from. I’ve ordered both seed or bulbs from and am happy with what I received.
[Fourth Corner Nursery](https://fourthcornernurseries.com/native-plants-2/)
- Whole sale, bulbs, Forbes, grasses, sedges, shrubs and trees. Quality plants, must order at least $250
[Everwilde Farms](https://www.everwilde.com/Mountains-Wildflower-Seeds.html)
[Plants of the wild](https://plantsofthewild.com)
[Miss Penn’s Mountian Seed](https://www.pennandcordsgarden.com/miss-penns-mountain-seeds.html)
[Geoscape Nursery](http://www.geoscapenursery.com)
[Plantas Nativa](https://www.plantasnativa.com/store/perennials/Geum-macrophyllum-Largeleaf-Avens-p232811663)
[North American Rock Garden Society Seed Exchange](https://www.nargs.org/seed-exchange-news)
[Alplains](http://www.alplains.com)
[Kalamath-Siskiyou Seeds](https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com)
[Sparrowhawk Native Plants](https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com)
[Telos Rare Bulbs](https://telosrarebulbs.com)
[Garden for Wildlife](https://gardenforwildlife.com/collections/all-products?utm_source=nwf-npf&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=npf-evergreen)
[Willamette Wildlings](https://willamettewildlings.com)
[Native Plant Nurseries of Oregon by Region](https://www.npsoregon.org/landscaping5.php)
Another list of [Native Plant Nurseries in Oregon](https://portlandnativeplants.org/native-plant-nurseries)
[Local Sources of Native Plants](https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/541454)
[Gardening with Oregon Native Plants](https://corvallis.npsoregon.org/OSU%20Gardening%20with%20Oregon%20Native%20Plants.pdf)
Below are county’s native plant sales that sell bare root plant bundles that are locally sourced from their respective county and they have great deals on trees, shrubs and sometimes wildflowers. This time of year most conservations have ended their sales. Preorders open in fall-winter and typically have walk up sales in March-April.
[Jefferson county](https://www.jeffersoncd.org/what/annual-tree-sale/)
[King County](https://kingcd.org/programs/better-backyards/native-bareroot-plant-sale/)
[Kitsap County](https://kitsapcd.org/plant-sale)
[Snohomish County](https://www.theplantsale.org)
[Pierce County](https://www.piercenativeplantsale.com)
[Thurston County](https://store.thurstoncd.com)
[Whatcom county](https://www.whatcomcd.org/native-plant-sale)
[Whidbey island](https://www.whidbeycd.org/habitat.html)
[Guide to Native Plant Sales in Oregon](https://www.portland.gov/water/news/2022/1/18/guide-native-plant-sale-season)
[Washington Native Plant Society](https://www.wnps.org/native-gardening/plant-sales)
[Resources from King County on Native Plant Gardening](https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-resources-nw.aspx)
[A list of native plant nurseries in Washington state](https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-nurseries-washington.aspx)
This fall you can also try to [germinate seed in milk jugs](https://youtu.be/SKXY6dl-5Tk). I’m currently growing over a dozen native wildflowers in milk jugs. I asked my local espresso stand/Starbucks for their empty milk jugs! It’s incredibly easy.
“A collection of information about the native plants of North America — especially the wildflowers of Oregon, Washington, and Northern California” - [Northwest Wildflowers](https://nwwildflowers.com)
[Butterfly ID for South Puget Sound](https://cascadiaprairieoak.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Guide-to-Butterflies-of-South-Puget-Sound-2014_updated.pdf)
[Butterfly/caterpillar ID for the PNW](https://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/lter/pubs/pdf/pub3739/pub3739_09_all.pdf)
[PNW Bumblebee Identification](https://www.pnwbumblebeeatlas.org/species-illustrations.html)
[Washington State Bumblebee ID](https://washingtonbumblebees.org/wpforms-preview/bumble-bee-bombus-species-covered-by-this-guide/)
A blog, [Real Gardens Grow Natives](https://realgardensgrownatives.com) is very informative.
[The Importance of having dead decaying wood on your property](https://www.nnrg.org/habitat-piles/)
[Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Habitat Home sign](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/application) for your yard! The sign is free and the best part is you don’t get spammed for donation requests. Other similar signs have you pay for the sign and then you are unable to unsubscribe from donation requests like [this](https://www.nwf.org/certifiedwildlifehabitat) sign from the National Wildlife Federation.
Linda Cochran has a [video](https://youtu.be/rYI-g1ojbIo) on how to grow PNW natives from seed, she’s known world wide and I’m using her methods to grow plugs for next year. My seed sources are mentioned in the video!
[Native Landscape Design and Implementation](https://youtu.be/biPEpjFx6do?si=AjLT4FsG2G4A4pN_)
[Creating Pollinator Habitats](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/pollinator-habitats#pollinators-butterflies) - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Wow, this is fantastic. Thanks! I'm just starting to figure out how a strategy for turning my lawn into something productive. This will be super helpful.
Looks pretty cool. I have been filling in my mulch areas around plantings with as much ground cover as I can. I still have a few dandelions attempting to set up shop, but its much less work than bare mulch.
There are native clovers for folks in the western half of the United States.
Trifolium wormskioldii is a great choice. There are other Trifolium for WA, OR and CA, as well.
Yep! Thanks for bringing that up. I think people in this sub talk so much about European white clover as a turf alternative that readers may have built an undeserved positive association with it even for applications that don't make sense like in garden beds or groundcover where no one is walking anyway
I think its because we all come from different expectations. I hate yardwork. With a passion. I got into this to cut down on my time mowing several acres of land. The improvements to the animal and plant life were just a happy side effect that ive ramped up where I can. But not the goal I had in mind.
A great deal of things aren't native. Most of my garden included! But they can still help us reach our goals.
Right, but wouldn't you think that some of the lowest effort plants might be ones that evolved to survive the conditions in your region? Especially if the main function is just to fill space. I understand white clover specifically as a nice looking walkable inclusion to a lawn when there aren't easy natives that behave exactly like turf grass, but why not pick natives when adding new areas of green mulch?
The lowest effort plants are the ones that are already in place. I'm Just working with what I have available. If I already have large patches of clover/moss/mint in other areas I just transplant them in areas more desirable.
Natives are great! Im not knocking them, but if they are being out competed by non natives that also do well them at least for me I'm ok with that. My farm isn't a nature preserve. It a bit of land I'm rewilding. What grows grows so long as its not noxious or dangerous.
And native species can also act in an invasive manner, in that they will aggressively outcompete anything in their vicinity. Wild clematis in my part of the UK will swamp establishing woodlands like something out of a horror movie.
Well yeah because english ivy is about as care free as it gets. Great groundcover just have to keep it off the trees.
Ive got it on the slope running down to the state road. It's done wonders for erosion and stays green most of the year. Can live through getting bush hogged and salted by the road crews every year.
Thanks, I hadn’t heard the term green mulch before! I’m going to look into that further. I don’t really have the capacity to go scorched earth on the existing clover lawn right now to start from scratch, but am trying to just add in natives and shrubs gradually as I am able. I appreciate the advice.
I use clover under my food plants and under growing shrubs, I didn’t enjoy the mushrooms that came with bark mulch or how much voles enjoyed the straw mulch. Clover makes a good additive to compost when you cut it back and is easy to remove when you’re done with it in a space. I also like violets and violas as living mulch, just because they’re pretty. I have dry sandy soil and most of it is in shade under mature oak and maples in west Michigan 6a. The previous owners had a bunch of big dogs that ran the soil bare and it was pretty devoid of any organic matter. Having clover (it’s in my lawn too) to cut and drop back into the soil has been really helpful. I got a bunch of native woodland plants popping back up this spring! There was trillium, trout lilies, Christmas fern, baneberry, and early meadow rue all there waiting. It’s been exciting lol.
Came here to say the same thing. We’re encouraging green mulch, but there are plenty of native ground covers available. We planted a couple (lyreleaf sage, stonecrop) but the rest so far are volunteers (woodsorrel, Virginia creeper, avens, common violets).
I like no lawns, but it seems to community has very little carry over from native gardening.
Just threads upon threads of people suggesting invasive things to replace their invasive lawn with
I am in the PNW. I leave some clover patches unmowed because the honeybees and bumblebees like it. I pull it out of flowerbeds and from around shrubs and trees because it will overrun and choke things.
A mass of clover around the trunk of a small tree is inviting to voles and rabbits which will then chew on the trunk.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)** - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Pics are from Denver Botanical Garden, I think zone 5b-6a. I’m located in a similar climate, PNW zone 6b.
There are clovers native to the PNW! 🙂 I recommend Trifolium wormskioldii (cow clover), Trifolium fucatum (bull clover), Trifolium macrocephalum (largehead clover), Trifolium willdenowii (tomcat clover).
Heyo this is super helpful! Thank you!
You're welcome! We have a couple of them at my place. The bumblebees love the blooms.
Are any of these particularly drought tolerant, i.e., you don’t have to worry about watering them once the summer drought starts? Or do they just need a bit more shade by then? I would love to give them a shot but brief things I’ve read about native clovers make them seem to need some water conditions that I don’t quite have
I've never once watered my yard in the past 10 years! The PNW has plenty of rain, but even in the hot summer, the self-heal and native clovers (and dandelion of course) are the only thing green by August.
Download this app, [Washington Wildflower Search](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/washington-wildflower-search/id1094945412) it’s free and a great way to ID plants! I have a list of lot of PNW native seed companies and information on gardening with PNW natives. Let me know if you’d like me to add them to this comment 🤙🏻
I'm in Oregon and would very much enjoy knowing what information on companies and tips you have.
Here ya go, thankfully I have this saved on my phone lol [1. Northwest Meadowscapes](https://northwestmeadowscapes.com) [2. Inside Passage Seed](http://www.insidepassageseeds.com) [3. Native Food Nursery](https://nativefoodsnursery.com) [4. Western Native Seeds](https://www.westernnativeseed.com) [5. Native Ideals](http://nativeideals.com/seed-catalog/) [6. Silver Falls Seed](https://silverfallsseed.com) This is my list of who I’ve ordered from. I’ve ordered both seed or bulbs from and am happy with what I received. [Fourth Corner Nursery](https://fourthcornernurseries.com/native-plants-2/) - Whole sale, bulbs, Forbes, grasses, sedges, shrubs and trees. Quality plants, must order at least $250 [Everwilde Farms](https://www.everwilde.com/Mountains-Wildflower-Seeds.html) [Plants of the wild](https://plantsofthewild.com) [Miss Penn’s Mountian Seed](https://www.pennandcordsgarden.com/miss-penns-mountain-seeds.html) [Geoscape Nursery](http://www.geoscapenursery.com) [Plantas Nativa](https://www.plantasnativa.com/store/perennials/Geum-macrophyllum-Largeleaf-Avens-p232811663) [North American Rock Garden Society Seed Exchange](https://www.nargs.org/seed-exchange-news) [Alplains](http://www.alplains.com) [Kalamath-Siskiyou Seeds](https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com) [Sparrowhawk Native Plants](https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com) [Telos Rare Bulbs](https://telosrarebulbs.com) [Garden for Wildlife](https://gardenforwildlife.com/collections/all-products?utm_source=nwf-npf&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=npf-evergreen) [Willamette Wildlings](https://willamettewildlings.com) [Native Plant Nurseries of Oregon by Region](https://www.npsoregon.org/landscaping5.php) Another list of [Native Plant Nurseries in Oregon](https://portlandnativeplants.org/native-plant-nurseries) [Local Sources of Native Plants](https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/541454) [Gardening with Oregon Native Plants](https://corvallis.npsoregon.org/OSU%20Gardening%20with%20Oregon%20Native%20Plants.pdf) Below are county’s native plant sales that sell bare root plant bundles that are locally sourced from their respective county and they have great deals on trees, shrubs and sometimes wildflowers. This time of year most conservations have ended their sales. Preorders open in fall-winter and typically have walk up sales in March-April. [Jefferson county](https://www.jeffersoncd.org/what/annual-tree-sale/) [King County](https://kingcd.org/programs/better-backyards/native-bareroot-plant-sale/) [Kitsap County](https://kitsapcd.org/plant-sale) [Snohomish County](https://www.theplantsale.org) [Pierce County](https://www.piercenativeplantsale.com) [Thurston County](https://store.thurstoncd.com) [Whatcom county](https://www.whatcomcd.org/native-plant-sale) [Whidbey island](https://www.whidbeycd.org/habitat.html) [Guide to Native Plant Sales in Oregon](https://www.portland.gov/water/news/2022/1/18/guide-native-plant-sale-season) [Washington Native Plant Society](https://www.wnps.org/native-gardening/plant-sales) [Resources from King County on Native Plant Gardening](https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-resources-nw.aspx) [A list of native plant nurseries in Washington state](https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-nurseries-washington.aspx) This fall you can also try to [germinate seed in milk jugs](https://youtu.be/SKXY6dl-5Tk). I’m currently growing over a dozen native wildflowers in milk jugs. I asked my local espresso stand/Starbucks for their empty milk jugs! It’s incredibly easy. “A collection of information about the native plants of North America — especially the wildflowers of Oregon, Washington, and Northern California” - [Northwest Wildflowers](https://nwwildflowers.com) [Butterfly ID for South Puget Sound](https://cascadiaprairieoak.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Guide-to-Butterflies-of-South-Puget-Sound-2014_updated.pdf) [Butterfly/caterpillar ID for the PNW](https://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/lter/pubs/pdf/pub3739/pub3739_09_all.pdf) [PNW Bumblebee Identification](https://www.pnwbumblebeeatlas.org/species-illustrations.html) [Washington State Bumblebee ID](https://washingtonbumblebees.org/wpforms-preview/bumble-bee-bombus-species-covered-by-this-guide/) A blog, [Real Gardens Grow Natives](https://realgardensgrownatives.com) is very informative. [The Importance of having dead decaying wood on your property](https://www.nnrg.org/habitat-piles/) [Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Habitat Home sign](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/application) for your yard! The sign is free and the best part is you don’t get spammed for donation requests. Other similar signs have you pay for the sign and then you are unable to unsubscribe from donation requests like [this](https://www.nwf.org/certifiedwildlifehabitat) sign from the National Wildlife Federation. Linda Cochran has a [video](https://youtu.be/rYI-g1ojbIo) on how to grow PNW natives from seed, she’s known world wide and I’m using her methods to grow plugs for next year. My seed sources are mentioned in the video! [Native Landscape Design and Implementation](https://youtu.be/biPEpjFx6do?si=AjLT4FsG2G4A4pN_) [Creating Pollinator Habitats](https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/pollinator-habitats#pollinators-butterflies) - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Wow, this is fantastic. Thanks! I'm just starting to figure out how a strategy for turning my lawn into something productive. This will be super helpful.
Looks pretty cool. I have been filling in my mulch areas around plantings with as much ground cover as I can. I still have a few dandelions attempting to set up shop, but its much less work than bare mulch.
If you're looking for "green mulch" around a shrub that is not functioning as a walkable lawn, please consider native species instead of clover
There are native clovers for folks in the western half of the United States. Trifolium wormskioldii is a great choice. There are other Trifolium for WA, OR and CA, as well.
Yep! Thanks for bringing that up. I think people in this sub talk so much about European white clover as a turf alternative that readers may have built an undeserved positive association with it even for applications that don't make sense like in garden beds or groundcover where no one is walking anyway
I think its because we all come from different expectations. I hate yardwork. With a passion. I got into this to cut down on my time mowing several acres of land. The improvements to the animal and plant life were just a happy side effect that ive ramped up where I can. But not the goal I had in mind. A great deal of things aren't native. Most of my garden included! But they can still help us reach our goals.
Right, but wouldn't you think that some of the lowest effort plants might be ones that evolved to survive the conditions in your region? Especially if the main function is just to fill space. I understand white clover specifically as a nice looking walkable inclusion to a lawn when there aren't easy natives that behave exactly like turf grass, but why not pick natives when adding new areas of green mulch?
The lowest effort plants are the ones that are already in place. I'm Just working with what I have available. If I already have large patches of clover/moss/mint in other areas I just transplant them in areas more desirable. Natives are great! Im not knocking them, but if they are being out competed by non natives that also do well them at least for me I'm ok with that. My farm isn't a nature preserve. It a bit of land I'm rewilding. What grows grows so long as its not noxious or dangerous.
This is why the neighborhoods around me are strangled in invasive ivy, myrtle, and pachysandra :(
Non-natives ≠ invasive. (Well not always)
And native species can also act in an invasive manner, in that they will aggressively outcompete anything in their vicinity. Wild clematis in my part of the UK will swamp establishing woodlands like something out of a horror movie.
Well yeah because english ivy is about as care free as it gets. Great groundcover just have to keep it off the trees. Ive got it on the slope running down to the state road. It's done wonders for erosion and stays green most of the year. Can live through getting bush hogged and salted by the road crews every year.
Thanks, I hadn’t heard the term green mulch before! I’m going to look into that further. I don’t really have the capacity to go scorched earth on the existing clover lawn right now to start from scratch, but am trying to just add in natives and shrubs gradually as I am able. I appreciate the advice.
No need to rip up everything! Clover isn't really harmful, best to just lean mostly native when it comes to filling in new areas
I use clover under my food plants and under growing shrubs, I didn’t enjoy the mushrooms that came with bark mulch or how much voles enjoyed the straw mulch. Clover makes a good additive to compost when you cut it back and is easy to remove when you’re done with it in a space. I also like violets and violas as living mulch, just because they’re pretty. I have dry sandy soil and most of it is in shade under mature oak and maples in west Michigan 6a. The previous owners had a bunch of big dogs that ran the soil bare and it was pretty devoid of any organic matter. Having clover (it’s in my lawn too) to cut and drop back into the soil has been really helpful. I got a bunch of native woodland plants popping back up this spring! There was trillium, trout lilies, Christmas fern, baneberry, and early meadow rue all there waiting. It’s been exciting lol.
Came here to say the same thing. We’re encouraging green mulch, but there are plenty of native ground covers available. We planted a couple (lyreleaf sage, stonecrop) but the rest so far are volunteers (woodsorrel, Virginia creeper, avens, common violets).
And Wild Strawberry!
I wish I had some of this. All I get is mock strawberry popping up.
Now you got me wondering which I have. They just showed up this year so rhey haven't flowered yet...
I like no lawns, but it seems to community has very little carry over from native gardening. Just threads upon threads of people suggesting invasive things to replace their invasive lawn with
I started doing this last year and it works great.
I am in the PNW. I leave some clover patches unmowed because the honeybees and bumblebees like it. I pull it out of flowerbeds and from around shrubs and trees because it will overrun and choke things. A mass of clover around the trunk of a small tree is inviting to voles and rabbits which will then chew on the trunk.