Ned you might try at the Butterfly Forum too. Many there grow this plant for their monarchs.

I grow them without any special attention. I got one from Lowes and it has spread but not too aggressively. The Monarch Butterfly caterpillars will pretty much eat them up, but they leaf out again in a few weeks.

Hi Ned and Welcome! I grow both the red and the yellow for the butterflies and haven't had a problem with it. Is it getting enough water? As said before sometimes they eat the leaves all off, but they come back. And the plants seed themselves.

i suspect that most people who have trouble growing asclepias are guilty of dandling & over-fertilizing it. that's the only explanation i have, given how abundantly mine reseeds and how vigorously they grow. mine live in pots in sunny spots and never get watered or fed... i think they need well-drained soil (no problem!), lots of sun, and no attention. TRYING to grow them might be your problem... try NOT to grow them!

i'm growing some interesting varieties from seed the first time this year.

From research I've done on the native Asclepias tuberosa it prefers sandy well draining soil without any supplemental irrigation. It doesn't tend to survive in well manicured or watered gardens. I'm fortunate to have some start growing in the portion of my back yard that I set aside to remain wild. If you have an area in your yard that's sunny without any irrigation try scattering some seeds there and see if the plants will take off on their own.

Thanks so much to all who responded to my Asclepias troubles. I will give it another shot without too much attention. :)

I have it seeding all over including my lawn. I just shake the seeds out on the soil When they seed themselves in the turf I pull them out gently and either feed them to some caterpillars I am raising or replant them in the beds.
Perhaps you are covering them too deep.try not covering the seeds.
{{gwi:808457}}

I'm a little late in commenting, but I think the original poster was referring to asclepias tuberosa, which is different from curvassifolia (not sure I've spelled that correctly). The one that grows tall and lanky is the one we commonly see at Lowe's and Home Depot. It grows well and reseeds itself, and the butterflies love it. The other doesn't grow well in Florida, although I saw pots of it for sale at a nursery in DeBary last week.