My tropical milkweed (A. curassavica) blooms all season - it blooms clear up until it freezes. I've even had it make it through a few light frosts with continued healthy blooms and leaves. I'm going to try to get some cuttings and overwinter them indoors. Though others on here have reported tons of seedlings sprouting from it's seeds, I have had very few. In fact this year (after several years of planting/growing) is the first year I've had any sprout up - and that was only three.

~Laura

Not sure if you are up to starting seeds indoors but if so you could always do staggered indoor sowings.

I started some A. physocarpa from seeds earlier this year, and they're growing vigorously in containers. They still look good, haven't deteriorated at all, but haven't bloomed either. I don't know if that's because they're in containers or what.

My tropical milkweed/A. curassavica blooms continually. It's extremely easy to grow from seed, and monarchs love to lay eggs on it.

I went to Walmart today, and I took a detour to check out the A. lanceolata growing along Hwy. 49 not too far from my house. They're growing in a boggy area and have expanded - there are many more plants than there used to be. They must be expanding by root spread, because the Highway people mow them down before the seed pods can mature. I just had to share a picture of one of them - I think they're a gorgeous color -

{{gwi:506378}}

Sherry

That is a very nice looking plant. Too bad you couldn't get seeds it is noted to be hardy to -25C :-) LOL.

It's beautiful! Is it native?

Yes, it's native to the coastal plain of the Southeastern U.S. from around Virginia to Louisiana. I've never found any monarch cats on it, but the information on the internet says they use it. The leaves are very narrow, so it'd take a lot of it to feed monarch cats, the way they eat!

Sherry

Wow, those are beautiful blooms. And if they really are hardy to -25C, I would love to try them in my yard. I'll keep my eyes peeled for seeds available.

Martha

milkweed diversification really helps get monarch activity for most of the season.

common can be controlled if you cut off seed pods and plant it away from other plants. I can't imagine the garden without common.

This season common has been BY FAR our best milkweed for monarchs eggs.

Surprisingly, the second best has been goose plant (physocarpa). However, my goose plants were 8 feet last season, and are only 3 ft this year. Two of them are about to flower....I'll be surprised if we get seeds.

What about common milkweed spreading through rhizomes? Doesn't that pose difficulties, even if you cut off the seedpods?

Also, at least around here, the common milkweed plants get pretty ugly and ratty looking after blooming. Although I have to say, they have been getting getting all the action from the monarchs. I haven't see any monarchs on the butterfly weed or the swamp milkweed, even though the peak bloom season for common finished a couple of weeks ago, and the swamp milkweed is peaking right now.

In my yard the syriaca is apparently a delicacy for bunnies - so it hasn't progressed so well. I have protected them now and expect to see better results next year. However, I also have curassavica planted as well as physocarpa, tuberosa, and incarnata and so far the Monarch preference here is physocarpa.

~Laura

This post was edited by wifey2mikey on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 8:36

Good to hear that the monarch preference is physocarpa, Laura - now if a monarch will just show up and use it!

Sherry

common does spread by rhizomes. I just plant mine away from the main garden.

I have to pull it sometimes but it's easy to keep up with if you do it regularly

I agree with cool butterfly. The common/syriaca does spread enthusiastically from rhizomes. But it is very easy to pull when still young, as long as it hasn't grown through something else precious. Just plant it by itself, or plant better behaved varieties like incarnata or currasavica.

Martha

No cats on my milkweed this year. It's really strange we usually have at least half a dozen. I haven't seen many Monarchs either, it's a worry.