Illustration
Crimson Clover
Trifolium incarnatum
Also called italian clover, carnation clover and scarlet clover
Crimson Clover blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Crimson Clover
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (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 Crimson Clover. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Fifteen fields were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it, with every unsettled point written down and decided: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, soil, diseases, pests, toxicity, the plant's own names, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. 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 Crimson Clover
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Crimson Clover into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from June to August.
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 April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Crimson Clover get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult12 inwideSee Crimson Clover 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 Crimson Clover
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Crimson Clover about 12 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Crimson Clover 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
Crimson Clover's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 12 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.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- botanicalinterests.comBotanical Interestsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil and toxicity
- Johnny's Selected Seedsheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Mississippi State University ExtensionServicebloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- sare.orgSARE, Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd Editionwater, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- feedipedia.orgFeedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO)height, water, bloom months and color, soil and toxicity
- hudsonvalleyseed.comHudson Valley Seed Companyheight, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- minnesotawildflowers.infoMinnesota Wildflowersheight, spread, sun and bloom months and color
- cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.eduUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extensionhardiness zones and bloom months and color
- Native Plant Trust (Go Botany)Go Botany, Native Plant Trustheight and bloom months and color
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
- American Meadowsbloom months and color
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.