# Would a neighbor's clover lawn upset you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439 "2026-07-05T19:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/81 "2026-07-09T02:10:27Z")
That’s what i grew, yes. And the first year, it kinda looked like that. Very lush, very green. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/82 "2026-07-09T03:06:46Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > That makes me want to go roll around in it. There are a whole lot of versions of this. Here’s one of them: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRFtFcILUF4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRFtFcILUF4) (grumble discourse will this at least show the link?) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/83 "2026-07-09T11:16:34Z")
Cute! Here’s the preview you wanted. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QRFtFcILUF4/maxresdefault.jpg "Roll Me Over In The Clover 1944 introduced by ?? and sung by the Misbehavin' Maidens") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRFtFcILUF4) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/84 "2026-07-09T12:13:56Z")
I’d be against it, but _only_ because it’s not indigenous here and there are much better native ground covers to choose from that are in the same ballpark. But anything is better than lawn. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/85 "2026-07-09T12:20:50Z")
How do you feel about a “lawn” of anything soft enough to walk barefoot on that survives mowing from time to time? (I’ve planted thyme in the backyard, looking for something more drought tolerant than clover. But i have a lot of other plants growing there, too.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/86 "2026-07-09T12:37:07Z")
I meant grass lawn, there. Other non-grass lawns I’m absolutely a fan of. I love herby groundcovers. Although the ones we have don’t need mowing, they stay close to the ground. We have the groundcover version of _Portulacaria afra_ and also _Dymondia_ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/87 "2026-07-09T13:19:42Z")
This sort of thing has never bothered me, as long as the lawn is maintained to a level that it does not overgrow and become a home for ticks, rodents, noxious weeds, and that sort of thing. Clover is inoffensive and green. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/88 "2026-07-09T13:32:43Z")
Concerns about “vermin”, while not applying to clover lawns, have been expressed about natural-style landscape alternatives to lawn. There’s evidence they mostly reflect myths. > **[Natural Garden Myths -- From Ticks to Fire to Kids Need Lawn](https://prairieup.com/natural-garden-myths/)** > > As human encroachment into wilder areas brings us into more contact with other species, and as climate change helps some populations to increase and foster ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/89 "2026-07-09T13:58:56Z")
Yes, ticks live very happily in tidy monoculture lawns. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/90 "2026-07-09T14:35:17Z")
I think the maintenance issue is more about people who switch to not-grass and then stop doing maintenance. Certainly people can not maintain their grass lawns, but that’s rare. Pretty much everyone mows their grass every week or so. But with not-grass yards, sometimes people just give up maintenance. They only do something when things get out of hand. Someone with a clover lawn may be unknowingly signing up for more maintenance than they realize. Some people won’t do the extra work, so their not-grass yard becomes more of an eyesore than if it was just grass. Around here people switch to xeriscaping, but often they don’t keep up the maintenance. It looks great at first, but weeds and leaves soon are all over their yard for long periods of time. I don’t mind not-grass lawns in principle, but I do mind when the owners think they no longer have to do yard maintenance since they no longer have grass. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/91 "2026-07-09T15:35:16Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Where I live, there’s an HOA. > > And I’m _pretty sure_ they’d take your house over this one. I live in an older neighborhood that is surrounded by a newer development with one of _those_ HOAs. We lovingly refer to our ‘hood as ‘the servants’ quarters’ and pretty much anything goes here. Older homes, no uniformity, and property values still about 10% higher than the ‘nice’ places surrounding us. Delicious schadenfreude. Anyway, I’m ‘this’ close to selling the missus on clover, since the north-facing slope and spruce trees in the front yard allow for anything _but_ grass to grow well. Needless to say, if a neighbor did it I would have no negative thoughts at all. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/92 "2026-07-09T18:26:18Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > but I do mind when the owners think they no longer have to do yard maintenance since they no longer have grass. Which is a challenge since IMO / IME the motivation for removing grass is almost always “Now I won’t have to do (or pay for) any yard maintenance.” And if xeriscape, “Now I won’t have to pay for expensive watering.” There may be a growing awareness in the last decade-ish by folks who care about the eco-value of avoiding water-intensive monoculture turf. But there are one hell of a lot more people that care nothing about those issues and merely want cheap and lazy. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/93 "2026-07-09T18:38:42Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Concerns about “vermin”, while not applying to clover lawns, have been expressed about natural-style landscape alternatives to lawn. There’s evidence they mostly reflect myths. Great Cite! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/94 "2026-07-16T06:13:47Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Having had experience with St. Augustine, I wouldn’t recommend it, mostly because of its coarse texture that isn’t especially attractive or pleasant to walk on. Ehh, here in north Texas, St. Augustine seems to be a miracle. Water it, mow it really short at the first of the season, and what weeds it doesn’t eventually choke out are relatively easy to pull up manually. My lawn has three or four different grasses besides the weeds. The St. Augustine is winning against both of its competitors in every area that is well lit enough to support most lawn grass. It is thirsty though. No, it’s not as soft on the tootsies, but it is a pretty hardy grass. The worst thing about it is its stringers will invade the street and make its own dirt if you don’t edge often enough (ask me how I know). But naw, a clover lawn wouldn’t upset me. Heck, a jasmine or rock lawn doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/95 "2026-07-17T18:37:36Z")
For my own lawn as long as it’s green and reasonably short I’m fine. As for the neighbors they can do what they want as long as it isn’t causing problems for others. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439/96 "2026-07-23T04:49:12Z")
I would probably feel a twinge of jealousy every time that I had to bust out the ol’ mower. I might even daydream a little bit about doing the same thing myself, although I don’t know if I’d ever actually pull the trigger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-neighbors-clover-lawn-upset-you/1031439.md?page=4)