Hmmm...it is interesting to hear how some plants are doing well in one area and not another. Mine grows on the north side of my house in almost full shade. I never water it. It drops seed wherever and they come up wherever. At some point in the season, it starts to look stressed. The little ones I leave look healthier than the parent. Yet, this plant has been going for at least four years and is sending up shoots now. ericwi mentioned that they have soils with high clay content. We do too in SW Ohio. The soils are very alkaline. This milkweed is commonly found in our fens. I wonder if it doesn't prefer a more alkaline soil. Anybody out there growing it in very acidic soils? Or even an more neutral, high organic soil? -Elisabeth

I want to bump this up again so those who are interested in preserving this plant can add this year's growing information. I had a baby who bloomed this spring but no seed pods. The same with the wild A variegata I dug up three seasons ago. This year it put up four strong stalks and lots of flower heads but again, not one seed pod. I watched the flower heads closely and even though some flying insects crawled all over the flowers, there was no pollination. This particuliar milkweed appears to bloom the earliest of all the milkweeds I have. Maybe there aren't enough insects around this early to aid in the pollination. We had terrible high temps over a long period this summer and it was all I could do to keep the plants alive. Did anyone else have any luck getting seed pods of this plant? I also purchased three small A variegata plants from Pine Ridge Gardens this year (all MaryAnn would sell me as I suspect she was trying to make them available to more of her clients). I'm going to overwinter them in 1 gal nursery pots. I haven't decided if I'm going to try growing them in big planters on my deck next year (mostly high dappled shade) or plant them inground. Maybe I should try putting one in ground this fall and keeping two in the nursery pots over winter. What is the key to getting these plants to set seed pods? :-) ~Mary A baby A variegata - 1st blooming this spring of 2011 the wild transplanted A variegata - aka Red Ring Milkweed - blooming 5-24-2011

Goodmorning all your tropical nuts! (I mean that kindly hahah) Regina you have a lot of babies there...I think I have my first plumie seedling not sure though the tag was lost...I have only been trying since last winter..hahah Thanks Mariann Those are some great prices...I hope you and hubby stay high and dry! I will be thinking of you..Please check in so we know you are alright :) Amy those tornadoes missed you shooo...That was some bad damage on the news this morning....Dee sends wonderful stuff..I have her gardenia she sent me last year... Frances bodaius pics..I cant wait for the daylilies...I can enjoy your beutiful flowers..:) Eye candy for sure! Ruh roh computer woes...Get it fixed so we dont miss you...Did you get a laptop fro your vacation to take us with you? hahahh Mariann I take 6-10 inch cuttings put in a glass canning jar and place on my dinner buffet table all winter...Just pull the little leaves as they emerge...I even forget to change the water...hahahha Them turkeys still live...In spring I pot them up and wa la they grow.... I also took my plant last year..Chopped her down to two feet and placed her in the very cold basement off the floor with hardly any heat down there and no light (we heat by wood upstairs) Well I brought her out in spring and now she is three feet in the same soil..hahah I need to give her new soil..... I only gave her a cup of water every now and than...They go dormant in winter if you make them...... I have a picture of my cuttings I will dig for it....With all of us growing them you sure know where you can get some cuttings for sure this fall..:))) We dont cut them know because we are waiting fro them to flush... Frances seedlings bloom the second year from what I was told...I have quite a few of them growing....Same with daylily seedlings for us up north..:)) Barb

oksandy48, was it you who posted a photo of Asclepias tuberosa seed soaking in a clear container with lots of germinating seed floating in the water? I thought I'd bookmarked the post but now can't locate it. Wanted to comment that I'm trying to duplicate, since I have a lot of saved seed and could chance losing them. Well, that idea of soaking this particular mw seed in water until they begin to germinate is working. I put them in a clear container of distilled water late in the day on Mar 31, covered with a clear lid and set them under my grow lights. This morning they are beginning to germinate. I took four seed out and placed in a pot of damp potting mix, covered with a slight covering of potting mix, covered the pot with a sandwich baggie with a small hole in the top and set the pot under the lights. Will see if the seed continue to sprout and grow. The photo that was posted showed the germinating seed further along, with green sprouts showing. I thought I'd try some at different stages of germination, to see if it makes any difference in plant development. Anyway, I love trying new methods of germinating and growing plants and just wanted to say thanks for sharing the photo of floating seedlings of Asclepias tuberosa aka Butterfly weed. I'd never have thought to try leaving these seed in water for such a long period of time. Mary