If you want a brave , native perennial wildflower in your garden that will wow guest , thrill your native pollinators , and attractMonarch butterflies , Showy Milkweed is just the prime for you . In this article , we ’ll do a deep nosedive on this amazing wildflower , how to produce it , and what tending considerations you should take .
extra varieties of milkweed include : Swamp milkweed ( A. incarnata ) , Common silkweed ( A. syriaca ) , and Butterfly weed ( A. tuberosa ) . swampland milkweed and butterfly sess are both exceedingly ornamental plant with several multifariousness .
What is Showy Milkweed?
Showy Milkweed is one of a smattering of species of milkweed flower and plays emcee to the caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly stroke . It is a tall - growing recurrent wild flower native to much of fundamental and Western North America , cover northward into fundamental Canada and southward into Texas . Milkweed ’s midget , star - shaped bloom are well built for pollination . The huge seed pods that form from the fertilized efflorescence are very nicely spring . These skilled self - sowers break away open in the tumble , release hundreds of seeds .
How to grow Showy Milkweed
Showy Milkweed is just that : showy . Asclepias speciosawildflower grows up to 3 foot marvelous when planted in moist , well - draining land in a sunny patch . A aboriginal flower for much of Central and Western North America , this perennial flower is a deary of butterflies , hummingbirds , and other pollinators . It explodes in splashy flowers that are pinkish , green , and purpleness for the legal age of summer . Its bloom period runs from May to September .
Asclepias speciosais a hardy perennial plant that does n’t need special fertilizer considerations . It grows well in containers but is not all that drought tolerant . Deer and pests mostly avoid this flora , unless you count Monarch caterpillars to be pestilence . ( Please do n’t . )
Invasiveness
Showy Milkweed is not list as a noxious weed by the Union politics or any state in the United States . At least five species are recognized as endangered by the body politic or Union government ( Borders , LeeMäder 2014 ) . Some milkweed species , such as common silkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ) , have a reputation for being “ weedy ” because they are more aggressive in garden options or disturbed region . If you are concerned about the proliferation of Sonchus oleraceus in your part , select species that are native to your arena and avoid specie that are particularly adept at vegetative , clonal reproduction , or are prolific seminal fluid producers .
Growing Showy Milkweed in containers
Asclepias speciosadoes well when planted in containers , but this is a jolly braggy wildflower , mature up to 3 feet tall . Take care to plant in a large sens with well - draining grease place in a gay localisation . Water often , as Showy Milkweed prefers damp soil .
When to startAsclepias speciosaseeds
seed Showy Milkweed seeds out of doors straight into the grunge in fall is the best way to go about set this amazing recurrent flower . It wo n’t sprout justly off – the seeds will await until springtime to shoot and commence growing . check cautiously forAsclepias speciosaseedlings early on in the springtime after the soil has thawed .
Propagating Showy Milkweed
StartingAsclepias speciosafrom seed is n’t the only way to spread Showy Milkweed . In the fall , you may dig up the roots of yourAsclepias speciosaand split them up . Replant the section of root and require a Modern milkweed plant to emerge in the springiness .
How to collectAsclepias speciosaseeds
In fall , after Showy Milkweed ’s prime have fail back , a large cod will be easily visible . Remove the pod from the top of theAsclepias speciosaplant and carve up it clear at the seam . at bottom , you will find dozens of seeds that you’re able to seed directly into the soil in the fall . Avoid milkweed fuel pod that are covered in plague or insects . Please leave some pods on their parent plant in society to rent seed scatter naturally on the wind .
Wildlife attracted by Showy Milkweed
Showy Milkweed , like other potpourri of the flower , are have sex to pull pollinators , like bee , hummingbird , and butterfly . It ’s also the boniface plant for the Monarch butterfly caterpillar . If you ’d like to help carry through the monarchs , plantAsclepias speciosa !
Common Problems
Milkweed bug ( which do n’t cause much harm ) , aphids , wanderer mites , whiteflies , thrips , musical scale insect , and foliage miners are all attracted to vulgar silkweed . Scrape off the offenders using a hose , a bottleful , or your fingernail . Snails and slugs savor young fragile Sonchus oleraceus plants as well . Snail bait work efficaciously and does not damage monarch butterflies , although the snail problem fades as the plant mature .
Keep an optic out for fungal issues including verticillium wilt , leaf berth , and radical rot . cut back diseased leave and branch with leaf spots , but the other two fungal problems may be more hard to solve .
