This plant has a formidable taproot and doesn't transplant well. That's the bad news. The good news is that it's laughably easy to start from seed (my main problem is to control all the seedlings each year). Just collect the ripe pods and sow the seed where you want the plants to be. Sow immediately, or store the seeds in a cold place and sow next spring--like seeds of all prairie plants, these need a cold period to break dormancy. Next year you'll have oodles of seedlings, the following year you'll have flowering plants.

The plant needs as much sun as possible and wet to medium soil. Doesn't actually need a swamp, but will not do well in a bone-dry location.

Thanks for the info.

The fact that the rear portion of the barn is up against a mature woodland probably helps. The plants' roots are in almost perpetual moist shade, but the tops are in the sun. From what I can see it's just the 2 plants, & thru my property excursions I haven't come across any others - even in the sunny/swampy area of the rear pasture. Odd.

Asclepias incarnata has many fiverous roots and is not all that difficult to move. Unlike A. tuberosa whic is a real tap root horror.

I would let them go to seed and move the seedlings wherever you want them in spring. If they are anything like my A. incarnata you should have plenty.

Good Luck!

I agree, just collect a few of the matured seed pods and you'll have more than you need to start new plants in new places. In fact I have baggies full of them from my A. incarnata 'Soulmate.' I have nowhere to put them though.

i have moved a. incanarta without problem. i dig the plants when they are small in the spring and make sure you take a nice clump of dirt and roots and they should transplant well. they prefer moist soil but will do okay in moderately moist soil.

I started asclepias tuberosa from seed a year ago. I gave the seeds their necessary cold period and then direct sowed them into the ground. It was well worth it! I have pods on mine now. Although this isn't a seed exchange forum, if someone is interested in a trade, just email me. :) Here's what I got:

All I did with A. tuberosa is plant the seed in the ground last summer, and they grew right away. They flowered for the first time this summer and are doing great. They have pods now, and some flowers still going.

The chipmunks ate the seedlings as they came up!
I'm working on plan B

I've got abundant A. tuberosa pods this year for the first time and am planning to plant seeds in a new dry/sunny bed I started this year with NJ tea, little bluestem, coreopsis, Penstemon grandiflorus, and Ruellia.

i winter sowed incarnata for this spring, and as i've read, they are going to bloom this first summer. they're huge! i can't wait to see the flowers - buds getting bigger.

Hi! I know this is a wee bit late in response to moving Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata), but hopefully someone who is thinking of transplanting some will read on!

I had grown some from seed last year and planted them outside successfully. They survived our Chicago winter (which wasn't that bad, but then again, I was in Florida for most of it) and showed some signs of life last week. Today I dug them all up and moved them - no tap root to worry about, just lots of tangled fivrous buggers as happyhoe states above (gee I love that name! lol!) that were very easy to gently pull free and move.

Happy spring!!!

Sandy :)