This week, quite a few of my garden visitors have asked about a gorgeous fluffy pink flower around my pond area. I’ve got two large clumps growing in the ground.
It is called trifolium rubens, with a common name of red clover. It is a perennial that dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in the spring. It has trifoliate blue-green leaves covered in soft hairs, which offer a beautiful contrast for the conical clusters of magenta-red flowers, which open from silvery buds in summer. It is also very attractive to beneficial insects including butterflies and bees and looks amazing in naturalised planting styles. It will tolerate full sun or partial shade, is fast growing and fully hardy. More importantly it is generally found to be disease free.