Shamrocks, Clover, Luck, and Lawns

Donna Green, Family & Consumer Sciences EducatorOhio State University Extension Saint Patrick's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks and the plant most associated with the holiday is a shamrock. The word shamrock comes from the Irish word "seamrog," which means "little clover." However, there is no consensus on what type of clover constitutes an Irish shamrock.There are many types of clovers, as well as plants that can pass as clovers. If you're looking to purchase a plant to decorate the house for St. Patrick's Day, it will most likely be a version of one of four plants: the Lesser trefoil (or hop clover), white clover, Black medick, or red clover. All four belong to the pea family.Black shamrocks and wood sorrels are also sold as shamrocks for Saint Patrick's Day. They are more easily cultivated than real clover. What they all have in common is a leaf made up of three leaflets. The number three is significant in the Christian religion because of the Holy Trinity. Saint Patrick, for whom the holiday is named, demonstrated the principle of the Trinity by using a shamrock.Four-Leaf Clovers vs. ShamrocksSymbolically, four-leaf clovers confer good luck, but they also represent faith, hope, and love. The first literary reference to draw attention to four-leaf clovers as good luck charms was made in 1620 by Sir John Melton. He wrote that "if a man walking in grass should find a four-leaf clover, he would ultimately find some good thing."If you do find a four-leaf clover, consider yourself lucky because there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every one four-leaf clover.Lawn CloverWhile Saint Patrick's Day traditions use shamrocks and four-leaf clovers as symbols of luck, the rest of the year they are viewed as a common lawn weed. However, up until the 1950s, clover was actually part of lawn seed mixes. It was considered an attractive, low-maintenance ground cover that was soft to walk on and mowed well.Clover in the LawnClover may well be beneficial to lawns. I particularly like to think so, since I have a ton of it in my yard. So let's consider what benefits having clover mixed in with your grass confer to your lawn.It stays green all summer.It out-competes weeds fairly well.It doesn't need to be fertilized.It is soft to walk on.It attracts beneficial insects such as honeybees.It doesn't suffer discoloration from dog urine.It helps improve the soil through aeration.It catches nitrogen in the air and pulls it into its roots, giving you free fertilizer.Grass needs to be irrigated when we experience dry spells. The fertilizers we use to keep it green eventually pollute Lake Erie. Having a predominately clover lawn provides a solution to most of these problems. It is good for the environment, and it saves you money and labor. Instead of trying to kill it, embrace its virtues.The Erie County Master Gardeners are holding their Annual Spring Seminar, March 30 at Mesenburg's Plaza in Huron. For a complete list of talks and registration forms, call the Erie County Extension Office or check out the website (erie.osu.edu).