Got my seed from Alberta :) I only got 2 seedlings to germinate from the common pink variety and only one to live after planting out. I probably could have waited longer to see if I'd get more germination, but I just tossed it out into a bed...maybe I'll be surprised next spring with more babies! Really this spot probably only has room for just one anyways!! I started them on Dec 16th and got the two seedlings on May 1st. Didn't do anything special :D Bonny...Hi! Saponaria officinalis (Soapwort AKA Bouncing Bet) is a perennial in the Caryophyllaceae (Dianthus/Pink) family that can spread via seed and rhizomes. It has become a weed in many locations in the US. In the garden it's a good one to have in dry not too fertile conditions to keep speading in check. You can use the roots to make a soap, but haven't tried it myself :D Mine is called 'Flore Pleno' and apparently it's not as aggressive as the common species...so far that's been true for me over the last 4 years with average watering and moderately fertile soil. I'll bloom between now and September...if you want me to save seed just let me know. Vera

I'm very interested that your MOnarchs have just started laying eggs. Here in mid-Canada we're finished! I've saved your photo and will enlarge it so I can see what your subject is. Since our Monarchs ARE finished we have time to look into other butterflies... Freda

Thank you Martha. I have emailed the scarce few native plant growers in my area and haven't heard back yet. I do have a ton of seed, but two weeks to germinate will be too late. Their numbers are growing daily and I'm in way over my head! I work every waking hour on them-I can't believe the amount of work it's been. There is a botanical gardens nearby, but I believe it's closed this time of year. I'll call the master gardener in my county and maybe city hall also to see if anyone knows of native milkweed around here. Martha, do you think I can switch to tropical MW on these (I can get that anywhere) when they were laid on and are used to native MW? Maybe the females who laid the eggs wanted native for a reason. I wonder if the offspring do the same things diet wise that their parents did as well? I don't want to confuse them if that's the case. Larvae-Overload

I know it’s been several years since this feed was started.. I’ve been raising monarch cats/butterflies for the last 4-5 years.. most of the milkweed I have planted is tropical milkweed/Mexican milkweed.. I live in north Florida so my monarch rearing/raising season lasts longer the up the northeast coast... I’ve tried growing common milkweed from seed that i gathered when I visited family up north in northern New York..the seeds stay in my freezer.. I’ve sprouted a few seeds from those I gathered. But they just don’t want to grow like they do up north...so just recently I bought 15 seeds of calotropis procera off etsy from a vendor of this plant not far from me...i got 2 seeds to sprout and they are growing.. I know it will be several years to grow this plant to be able to substain the caterpillars I collect..and can’t wait to help this magnificent butterfly to survive