Clover

This Sunday was the day to “go green”! Being St. Patrick’s Day, whether you are of Irish decent or not, most people celebrate by wearing or displaying something green. In gardening, “going green” is often understood as using environmentally sound practices. It is worth considering, in light of it being March 17th, to blend the two meanings. Probably the most recognizable symbol of Ireland is the clover leaf. While it is rare to find a four leaf clover, the plant itself used to be a mainstay in the home lawn. Now, unfortunately, it is viewed as a weed.

White clover, also known as Dutch clover, has many benefits, and if you are trying to go green in your own landscape, it may be worthwhile adding it. Clover is lush, has a rich green hue, and has a low and dense growth habit. White clover makes even more sense in a home landscape, if you have large areas to mow, as it is a low maintenance ground cover. As water becomes a more precious resource, white clover is a good choice, because it can withstand a drought.

Some additional benefits to white clover are:

• Grows four to eight inches high.
• Tolerates low mowing.
• Spreads to fill empty spaces, and looks best when blended with other grasses.
• Tolerates dog urine better than grasses.
• Great source of nitrogen for your lawn, cutting down on the need to fertilize.

White cover does have disadvantages though. It can be hard to find. Some garden centers sell forage types, like red clover. It does not hold up well to a lot of foot traffic, and the stains on clothing are difficult to remove. Depending on your particular circumstance, clover attracts honey and bumble bees, which can be a plus or a minus. If you want to promote native pollinators, white clover is an excellent feed source for them. It may be a concern if you are allergic to stings.

If you do choose to add white clover to your home lawn, remember not to use any kind of broad leaf herbicide. White clover is killed by these products. For more information on this or any other topic, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension  Lackawanna County

Sierra Club Sponsors Showing of the Film “Vanishing of the Bees”

Contacts:

Linda Melvin 570-586-2617
Doug Heller  570-241-8244
dheller2@yahoo.com

The Northeastern group of the Pennsylvania Sierra Club teams with Lackawanna State Park to present the film “Vanishing of the Bees”.   

For several years now, Honey bees have been mysteriously disappearing all over the world. Millions of bees leave their hives and don't return. Bees pollinate 1/3 of our diet. Without them, trees can't produce apples or nearly any other fruit and many vegetables won't grow. Beekeepers believe there must be reasons for the holocaust but the trend baffles scientists and frightens all associated with the food industry from farmers to grocery storeowners. According to the National Resources Defense Council, hive destruction continuing at the current rate will evoke a national, natural disaster.

The film "Vanishing of the Bees" explores the mysterious disappearance of the small yet vital insect that helps farms from around the USA supply food to the world. . The Sierra Club presents this landmark film on Friday, July 27 at 7:30 PM at the Lackawanna State Park Learning Center, 1839 Abington Road.   Penn State Cooperative Extension service educator and beekeeper, Kim Carlen, will field questions and provide an update on this disturbing trend. Ellen Paige narrates and says ,"This film can help change this grave situation into an opportunity for people to come together and make changes for the good of the bees and everything else on the planet." We don't have to wait for the government to act on some of these issues. We can do something today..

The Sierra Club is the country’s oldest environmental organization founded in 1892 by John Muir.  The club’s mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth.  Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources, Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.  Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Conserving Wild Bees

The New Year has begun and the gardening catalogs are arriving. Please consider wild bees as you plan your 2010 gardening. Penn State has a new free pamphlet titled Conserving Wild Bees in Pennsylvania. This pamphlet discusses 5 ways you can enhance wild bee populations. The 5 ways are conserving natural bee habitats, planting flowers, providing access to water, preserving or building nesting sites, and reducing bee exposure to pesticides. Landscaping with perennial native flowering plants is discussed and a chart of their bloom periods is included. Beautiful color pictures of each plant are shown. Finally, there are color pictures of some of the common wild bees in Pennsylvania. You may be surprised to find that some of those insects you thought were pests are actually wild bees providing pollination.

Get your own copy of Conserving Wild Bees in Pennsylvania and think about what you can do to conserve and enhance wild bees and other pollinators. I plan to plant some perennial flowers along one border of my vegetable garden and include some herbs like dill within my vegetable rows. What will you plan to do? Tell us about it... we'd like to hear from you!

For more information contact your local extension office. In Lackawanna County call 963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu


John Esslinger, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension
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