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Milkweed is a handsome, straight plant you see in every farm field and growing wherever a roadside hasn't been mowed. Leaves are glossy and thick, and the blooms are large, rounded clusters of purplish/pink flowers atop plants that range from 2 to 5 ft. It's native in the US from Canada to Georgia, and west to Texas.
The botanical name, "Asclepias" is after Aesclepios, the Greek God of medicine, since this plant has been used as a medicinal since ancient times. "Milkweed" derives from the fact that when you break a stem, sticky white sap immediately appears. Common Milkweed is one of our commonest "weeds," but one almost all wildflower gardeners want.
This is the plant famous for its "silky seeds" in fall, when you see the drying cone-shaped seedpods crack open and their snow-white shiny fluff flying around the meadow. This is the dispersal mechanism for the large shiny seeds of common milkweed. Every kid loves to blow them away in fall, like dandelion seeds in spring. Milkweed seeds require special prep when planting. See our planting guide below.
You'll love Milkweed in your wildflower garden...for two reasons. It's beautiful and dependably perennial, and it's the No. 1 plant visited by Monarch butterflies on their famous migration south every summer and fall. In fact, during late summer, it's somewhat rare to see a milkweed plant without a monarch perched upon the flowers, making it the No. 1 butterfly magnet among our wildflowers. ("Butterfly Weed" is a close relative, with bright orange flowers.) Asclepias syriaca Native Range: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV.
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Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 from 4 reviews.
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"I am trying to plant more butterfly-friendly plants and these seeds filled the bill. I found caterpillars on them (in addition to butterflies). We also saw cocoons everywhere. I want to plant more of these. They have very pretty flowers."
"I did not have great luck starting these from seed. I probably should try directly in the garden (outside)."
"i had always wanted to grow milkweed, to my surprise this plant grew quickly into a strong healthy plant that attracted monarchs this season, I was able to watch a whole new generation of butterflys develope right in my garden. Cant wait for next year."
"I am excited to try these seeds because it's impossible to buy this variety of milkweed/asclepias as a plant. I do wish the seeds had come with more specific instructions such as these seeds need stratification."
