Clover, Yarrow and Wildflower Lawn Mixes

Why blend rather than plant one thing

The most resilient and rewarding low, flowering lawns are almost always blends rather than single species, and there is good reason for this. A mix of clover, yarrow, and low wildflowers — the classic bee-lawn or flowering-lawn recipe — combines plants with complementary strengths and overlapping bloom, so the lawn is more diverse, more resilient, and more valuable to pollinators than any one plant alone. Different species thrive in slightly different conditions and flower at different times, so a blend covers a wider range of weather and provides nectar across a longer season.

University of Minnesota Extension bee-lawn research promotes exactly this approach: weaving low flowering plants together for pollinator forage in a mowable lawn. Diversity also buffers against failure, since if one plant struggles, others carry the lawn. So rather than choosing clover or yarrow or wildflowers, the best flowering lawns use them together, each contributing its own strengths to a richer, tougher, more pollinator-friendly whole.

Clover: the nitrogen-fixing base

Clover is the foundation of most flowering lawn mixes, and for good reason. As a nitrogen-fixing legume, white clover or microclover feeds itself and the other plants in the mix, reducing or removing the need for fertiliser and building healthy soil — a gift to every other species in the blend. It is low, soft, and tolerant of light traffic, forming a dense green base that fills gaps and suppresses weeds. And it is a superb pollinator plant in its own right, its blooms feeding many bee species through the season, as well as being non-toxic to pets.

In a clover-yarrow-wildflower mix, clover provides the green, weed-suppressing, self-fertilising matrix into which the other flowers are woven, and its nitrogen fixing quietly supports the whole planting. Most flowering lawn mixes are therefore clover-heavy, using it as the reliable, low, self-feeding base layer, with yarrow and wildflowers adding diversity, texture, and additional bloom on top of clover’s dependable green foundation.

Yarrow: drought-tough texture and bloom

Yarrow is a classic partner to clover in flowering lawns, adding qualities clover lacks. With its feathery, fern-like, aromatic foliage and flat-topped flower clusters, yarrow brings fine texture and a different flower form to the mix, and it is exceptionally tough — drought-tolerant, happy in poor soil, and low-growing enough to mow. It spreads to form a mat and, like clover, feeds pollinators, its flat flowers acting as landing pads for bees and other insects.

In a blend, yarrow contributes drought resilience and structure, holding up in the hot, dry, lean spots where some wildflowers falter. One important caution, however: unlike clover, yarrow is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, so a yarrow-containing mix is not suitable for yards where pets have access. For pet-free sunny lawns, though, yarrow is a valuable, drought-proof, pollinator-friendly component that complements clover beautifully, adding toughness and textural interest to the flowering lawn.

What each plant contributes

Wildflowers: diversity and season-long bloom

The wildflower component of the mix brings the diversity and extended bloom that make a flowering lawn genuinely rich for pollinators. Low-growing, mowable wildflowers — the kind used in bee lawns, such as self-heal, creeping thyme, and other short flowering plants — add a range of flower colours, shapes, and bloom times beyond what clover and yarrow provide alone. This diversity matters because, as the Xerces Society emphasises, different pollinators favour different flowers and are active at different times, so a mix offering varied blooms across a long season feeds a far wider range of bees, butterflies, and other insects than a single flower could.

Favouring regionally appropriate species makes the wildflower element even more valuable to local pollinators. In the blend, the wildflowers are the diversity layer, scattering varied bloom through the clover-and-yarrow matrix so that something is always flowering and a broad community of pollinators finds forage. This is what turns a simple flowering lawn into a genuine pollinator habitat.

Choosing and growing a mix

Choosing the right flowering lawn mix comes down to matching it to your site and goals. Above all, match the mix to your sun and region: most flowering lawn plants, including yarrow and many wildflowers, need full sun, so a sunny site suits a classic clover-yarrow-wildflower mix, while a shadier spot needs a shade-tolerant blend leaning on clover and shade wildflowers. Consider your priorities: a clover-heavy mix maximises the green, self-feeding base and pollinator forage, while more yarrow and wildflowers add drought toughness and floral diversity.

Crucially, if you have pets, avoid yarrow-containing mixes, since yarrow is toxic to dogs and cats, and choose a clover-and-wildflower blend instead. To establish a mix, prepare a clean, weed-free seedbed, sow at the recommended rate, keep it watered while it establishes, and mow high and infrequently once grown to let the plants flower. Matched to your site and managed simply, a flowering lawn mix becomes a diverse, low-input, pollinator-rich lawn.

The verdict

Clover, yarrow, and wildflower lawn mixes make some of the best low, flowering, pollinator-friendly lawns there are, precisely because they blend complementary plants rather than relying on one. Clover provides a low, soft, weed-suppressing, nitrogen-fixing green base that feeds both bees and the other plants; yarrow adds drought toughness, fine texture, and flowers; and low wildflowers bring the diversity and season-long bloom that make the lawn a genuine pollinator habitat.

Together they need little water or feeding and support far more wildlife than grass. To choose well, match the mix to your sun and region, weight it toward clover for a green base or toward yarrow and wildflowers for diversity, and — importantly — avoid yarrow-containing mixes if you have pets, since yarrow is toxic to them. Chosen and grown with care, a flowering lawn mix is a beautiful, living, low-input lawn across USDA zones 3 to 9.

What not to do

Do not use a yarrow-containing mix in a pet yard. Yarrow is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. For yards with pets, choose a clover-and-wildflower blend without yarrow, keeping the pollinator benefits while staying pet-safe.

Do not sow a sun-loving flowering mix in shade. Yarrow and most wildflowers need full sun and fail in low light. For shade, use a shade-tolerant blend leaning on clover and shade wildflowers instead.

Do not mow a flowering lawn too low or too often. Frequent close mowing removes the flowers that feed pollinators and stresses the plants. Mow high and infrequently to let the blend bloom and support wildlife.

Frequently asked questions