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waterstar

I need suggestions on which milkweeds please

waterstar
10 years ago

Thank you for setting up this forum!

I am in the process of setting up flower beds (hopefully not weed beds that my past attempts at wildflowers were....) and really want to have milkweed for the butterflies. I know NOTHING about milkweed. Could you please advise me of which kind(s) to get? I see different varieties you mention in the forum, but I am clueless. I am not new to gardening, just to wildflower gardening...

Thank you in advance!

Comments (8)

  • Ralph Whisnant
    10 years ago

    My favorite is Asclepias curassavica. Here in Raleigh it occasionally winters over but if not, new plants are easily raised from seed. The One reason that I like it is that it is still going strong in the fall when Monarch butterflies arrive. It also attracts lots of other bees and wasps throughout the season. If you are interested in seed, send me an email.

  • waterstar
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Awesome, THANKS. email on its way. ( :

  • Tony G
    10 years ago

    Hi waterstar,

    I currently set up a web page highlighting 14 milkweed varieties...under some of the varieties there are links to more detailed info about that specific species.

    Hope this helps, Tony

    Here is a link that might be useful: 14 milkweed species for your butterfly garden

  • Lynda Waldrep
    10 years ago

    Nice site. Thanks for posting this link.

  • waterstar
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Great site, thanks! Slow to respond here as my computer is in the hospital and I'm on my hubby's computer. ( :

  • Need2SeeGreen 10 (SoCal)
    10 years ago

    I have a bunch of A. curassavica seeds too, from "Silky Scarlet." It is a tropical milkweed.

    The seeds are a couple years old b/c I took out the plants b/c they aren't the right kind for butterflies in my area, according to http://www.xerces.org/monarchs/ (Which I think focuses on California. Lots of info there, maybe almost too much.)

    But these seeds were wildly fertile, so my guess is, they're still good.

    I'd be happy to send them to anyone who's in the right area, for postage. (Do we need a bubble pack?)

    And I don't know which areas that might be, maybe someone here does. Sounds like they are good back East.

  • docmom_gw
    10 years ago

    Any who choose to grow the tropical milkweed (curassavica), please be aware that it may induce the Monarchs to continue to breed far too late into the season, when they should be migrating to overwintering territory before cold weather arrives. Also, since it is perennial and not deciduous, like our native milkweed species, it may be at greater risk of harboring OE spores that are deadly to Monarchs and are especially prevalent in the warmer southern breeding areas. Please trim back your tropical plants in fall to allow for a normal migration pattern and to remove any spores and allow fresh foliage to grow back. It may even be wise, from an infection standpoint, to trim back a few times each season. Research is ongoing.

    Thanks for continuing all efforts to support Monarch survival.

    Martha

  • AJD1221
    10 years ago

    I'll second what Martha said previously - according to many sources and studies, some of the tropical varieties of milkweed appear to encourage monarchs to hang around when they should be moving along to their over-wintering grounds in Mexico. Here are some varieties that I found on another site which are native to South Carolina (source is below):

    Asclepias amplexicaulis
    Asclepias cinerea
    Asclepias connivens
    Asclepias curassavica
    Asclepias exaltata
    Asclepias fascicularis
    Asclepias humistrata
    Asclepias incarnata
    Asclepias lanceolata
    Asclepias longifolia
    Asclepias mexicana
    Asclepias michauxii
    Asclepias obovata
    Asclepias pedicellata
    Asclepias perennis
    Asclepias physocarpa
    Asclepias purpurascens
    Asclepias quadrifolia
    Asclepias rubra
    Asclepias syriaca
    Asclepias tomentosa
    Asclepias tuberosa
    Asclepias variegata
    Asclepias verticillata
    Asclepias viridiflora
    Cynanchum leave

    Source: http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/resources/milkweeds-by-state

    I have A. curassavica seeds up for trade. It does appear that this one is native to three counties in SC though so if you're interested, shoot me an email. I was looking for A. incarnata (swamp milkweed) but also interested in heirlooms and other things.

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