Grows 4 to 5 feet tall and has mauve, pink, or white blooms. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnate): Native from the northeast United States south to Georgia, west to Texas, and north to North Dakota. Grows 1 to 2 feet tall and has light orange blooms. Grows 3 to 6 feet and has white and purple blooms.īutterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa): Native from the northeast and eastern United States south to Florida, west to Texas, and north through Colorado to Minnesota. Not to worry, Northwesterners: You can still plant showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) or Mexican whorled milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis).Ĭommon milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): Native from the eastern United States south to Georgia and west through Tennessee to Kansas and Iowa. It’s native to most parts of the country (except the Northwest) and blooms in a brilliant orange or yellow. One of the most common, Asclepias tuberosa, is also known as butterflyweed. If you want to plant new milkweed, there are several species of native milkweed in the US. This is not to say that gardeners in California and the coastal Southern states (or zones 8 through 11) who grow tropical milkweed should immediately rip it out-just remember to cut the plants back in late fall to reduce the spread of OE, promote new growth of fresh, healthy leaves, and encourage monarchs to finish their migration. Once the plant goes dormant in winter and loses its leaves, OE is no longer a threat.īut with tropical milkweed, the leaves stay viable all winter long and make it more likely that a caterpillar will become infected.Ī report by the Monarch Joint Venture found that 49 percent of winter-breeding monarchs had OE infections, compared to only 9 percent of migratory monarchs sampled in Mexico and 15 percent of migratory monarchs sampled in the northern US and Canada. OE is found in all species of milkweed, but isn’t a problem with natives because the leaves are only desirable to caterpillars in the early stages of growth. ![]() When grown in warm climates where the plants don’t die back, the year-round tropical milkweed encourages monarch butterflies to overwinter in the Southern United States rather than continue their migration to Mexico.īy hatching and feeding on tropical milkweed, caterpillars have an increased chance of being infected with a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), which weakens them as adults. It’s also been found to do more harm than good. It’s not by any fault of their own, however: One of the most popular (and non-native) milkweed species, Asclepias curassavica or tropical milkweed, is widely sold in nurseries. Planting non-native milkweed is a common mistake that many people make. More importantly, strive to plant native milkweed for the monarchs. ![]() The next step is to plant milkweed in your garden. Zones 4-9.Choosing the right milkweed for your garden They can live in larger containers and will multiply over time. This beautiful native plant is a wonderful addition to any garden, big or small. ![]() A decoction of the leaves was used for snow blindness while poultices of the root can help with inflamed joints. The roots were sometimes used internally as well as for respiratory issues and stomach aches, although it may have some toxicity in high doses. The mature flowers were boiled into a sweet syrup and the latex in the stems was used like a chewing gum and as a cure for warts and other skin ailments. The flower buds and green shoots were often eaten boiled. Native people have relied on milkweed as food and medicine for generations. ![]() It is a very hardy plant reaching between 2 and 4 feet depending on the site with an exquisite bloom which attracts many pollinators and beneficial insects, especially the monarch butterfly. This lovely milkweed is native to the western states of North America.
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