Milkweed plants are integral to any pollinator garden, serving as hosts for monarch butterflies and providing vital nectar sources.
Purchase seeds or plants from vendors with prior experience selling and growing milkweed. A reliable vendor should have a record of providing high-quality sources with excellent germination rates.
Native to the United States
If you shop online for milkweed seeds/plants, look for vendors with strong local connections. Because Asclepias species have wide national distribution, their physical address may not reflect where their origin originated from. The Monarch Joint Venture suggests only buying species native to your region from vendors with solid ties; use BONAP county-level distribution maps to narrow your search for local ecotype seeds; review ratings are an additional helpful way of finding reliable vendors who understand how best to care for these fragile and challenging plants.
Asclepias syriaca) is an essential part of the Monarch butterfly habitat, flourishing under various environmental conditions and providing food sources for caterpillars, bees, and butterflies. Its thick leaves serve monarch caterpillars well, while its fragrant blooms attract both insects. Umbels of flowers from this species contain hundreds of tiny actual flowers, while their seed pod husks change color from brown to gold as they dry. It thrives in wet or poorly drained soil and spreads via rhizomes in less-cultivated areas. Native to California and surrounding states, milkweed makes an attractive addition to naturalized areas and other uncultivated sunny spots. Planting some in your backyard could even help boost monarch populations whose migration south may be threatened due to limited habitat.
Easy to grow
These hardy perennials make an easy addition to your garden or container space, and the Asclepias genus includes over 100 species native to North America, including milkweed. Monarch butterflies rely heavily on them as food sources; adding these beauties will surely attract pollinator-friendly landscapes!
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is one of the easiest-to-grow wildflowers, making it a staple in gardens and prairie plantations for decades. Boasting large oval leaves complemented with lavender-pink flowers blooming from mid to late summer on sturdy stems topped by dense umbels of tiny actual flowers, this wildflower boasts large oval leaves as well as densely packed blooms providing visual focal points within gardens or borders.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias species) is one of the easiest-to-grow species from the Asclepias genus and stands out for being a highly adaptable native plant in the US. As a versatile perennial that thrives across many conditions ranging from sandy to rich and well-drained soil, it makes an attractive addition to perennial borders or meadows.
When selecting vendors to purchase milkweed seeds or plugs, look for those with experience growing these plants. Experienced growers know how best to handle delicate seeds or young plants while having a more successful track record in increasing milkweed plants. Inquire whether vendors carry native varieties in your region – the Biota of North America Program’s county-level distribution map may provide insight.
Blooms in late summer
Milkweeds (Asclepias) are perennial wildflowers that form clumps when exposed to sun or partial shade and well-draining soil, providing nectar for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees throughout summer. Their flowers provide nectar that butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees rely on as food sources throughout their respective life cycles; when their blossoms fade in fall, they produce seed pods that mature later and can be collected for sowing purposes or added as ornamental features for garden or landscape purposes. Some species also have long, slender stalks that add visual or ornament value when placed within gardens or landscape settings.
Asclepias syriaca, commonly known as Common Milkweed, is one of the most familiar and versatile native species. Reaching six to eight inches tall when grown under full sun or partial shade, it can often grow along pasture edges, field margins, and roadsides – often providing valuable erosion control capabilities through underground rhizomes that spread by underground sprouts. With abundant pink blooms held atop stems rising from thick bases – this perennial favorite produces plenty of fragrant pink umbels bearing fragrant pink flowers held within its underground rhizomes network – helping it spread quickly among these environments while providing erosion control capabilities as it spreads underground via underground rhizomes as it spreads quickly by underground rhizomes and can even serve as an erosion control device!
Selecting native plants is critical to attracting monarch butterflies into your garden and yard, particularly if your goal is attracting monarchs. There are plenty of choices in your region, with common milkweed being one great choice that blooms late summer, providing food sources for Monarch butterflies. It thrives well from full sun to partial shade in most soil types.
Swamp milkweed, Asclepias crassifolia, is another native worth considering when planting your garden. Similar to its standard milkweed counterpart, swamp milkweed is easy to care for with narrow and thick green leaves on a vigorous low-growing perennial stem that flowers late summer, attracting butterflies and bees, while its vibrant orange to red-orange to pink blooms attract pollinators like butterflies and bees as well as bees; its seed pods make an eye-catching feature when dried!
When buying milkweed seeds or plants online, you must choose a vendor with an excellent reputation. Amazon or eBay provides an effective way of doing this; checking their ratings and reviews will do. Doing this will allow you to avoid dishonest sellers that sell old or unhealthy stock and ensure you buy the correct species by searching their scientific name rather than common name.
Food for Monarch Butterflies
Asclepias (pronounced as KLEE-pee-as) is a North American perennial flowering plant known as milkweed, commonly found throughout North America and loved by butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators alike. Their flowers make easy-to-grow wildflowers enjoyed by butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators – they even serve as hosts to monarch butterfly caterpillars, which feed solely upon Asclepias plants!
With monarch numbers declining and migration teetering on the brink of collapse, planting milkweed is more critical than ever to support monarch health and survival. By growing native milkweed in your garden, you’ll also help support their journey southward to overwintering grounds in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests for overwintering.
The first step to growing beautiful, productive milkweed plants is selecting an appropriate variety for your climate and soil type. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is often the ideal selection, growing well across various conditions from sandy to clay soil types. Common milkweed is an upright perennial that pairs beautifully with many prairie wildflowers and grasses – its lavender-pink flowers bloom over an extended period from mid to late summer and attract many pollinator species.
Another choice for dry, sunny sites is Asclepias exfoliate (Mudsill). Deer-resistant swamp milkweed thrives in wet to average soils with pink and vanilla-scented blooms that create stunning accents for perennial borders or sunny gardens. An excellent addition to dry conditions!
Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias minor) is another tall and upright native easy to cultivate in moist to average soils, perfect for butterfly gardens and providing nectar sources for other insects. Narrowleaf milkweed’s hardiness means it can endure extreme cold and drought conditions.
If you want to add something colorful and easy to grow annually to your butterfly garden, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurascens) could be needed. Hummingbirds love it, too! And with its rainbow of hues that provide the ideal background for perennials and shrubs.
When purchasing seeds or plants, always look up their scientific name instead of their common name to ensure you buy the appropriate species. In addition, when looking for vendors with positive customer reviews and reliable seed suppliers who sell contaminated or unhealthy seed. Finally, buy locally sourced seeds whenever possible to promote regionally appropriate ecotypes that are more resistant to pests and diseases.
