According to legend, four-leaf clovers are incredibly lucky and they help you to see the fairies in your garden. If you’ve had trouble finding a four-leaf clover, take Jackie French’s advice and grow your own. Jackie grows the ornamental four-leaf clover, which she says gives her all the luck she needs.
Jackie also uses her four-leaf clovers to wish other people good luck. Pressed four-leafed clovers can be pasted onto stationery, or stuck on the kids when they’re about to sit for a school examination!
Ornamental four-leaf clover (Trifolium repens ‘Purpurascens Quadrifolium’)
Also known as the purple shamrock, this hardy, ornamental clover has purple and green leaves of predominantly 4 leaflets. It is grown mainly for its foliage, but it produces creamy white, pom-pom flowers as an added bonus.
Ornamental four-leaf clover likes a position in full sun to part shade, and is very easy to grow as long as it has adequate moisture. It can be grown in tubs and pots, at the front of borders, over paving or as a groundcover.
(Note: Jackie grows her ornamental four-leaf clover in a pot. This is a good idea, as some clovers have a tendency to become weedy.)
Further information
Ornamental four-leaf clover is very difficult to find, but it is easily propagated from a friend’s plant.