Illustration
Dragon's Blood
Trifolium repens 'Dragon's Blood'
Also called shamrock
Dragon's Blood blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Dragon's Blood
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 4 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for Dragon's Blood. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Dragon's Blood
Plant Dragon's Blood in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Dragon's Blood get?
4 intall5 ft 7 inan adult12 inwideSee Dragon's Blood in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Dragon's Blood
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Dragon's Blood about 12 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Dragon's Blood to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Dragon's Blood's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 11 published sources on August 28, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxspread, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Heritage Perennials (perennials.com)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderhardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- kernock.co.ukKernock Park Plantsheight, spread, sun and bloom months and color
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderspread, hardiness zones, soil, pests and toxicity
- gardencentermarketing.comGarden Center Marketingheight, spread, hardiness zones and trait tags
- langthorns.comLangthorns Planteryspread
- naturalresources.extension.iastate.edutrait tags
- poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.eduCornell University Department of Animal Science, Plants Poisonous to L...toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.