I have these seeds left over from a trade. Both had great germination six weeks ago so I am sure they are still good. There is a mix of Silky red and Silky gold and asclepia physocarpa (more unfortunately known as hairy balls) If you are interested send me your address and I will send them to you.

Perennialfan, have you posted your question in the Butterfly Gardening Forum? There are some real experts over there, if you want some further information besides the good stuff you've seen here. Personally, I try to avoid a lot of host plants because I seem to have so many birds that visit the gardens! They really go after caterpillars and even pupas, though they leave the butterflies alone, pretty much. The Monarch caterpillars on the Asclepias are always safe, though.

Oh, thank you so much for this information. You saved me money and heartache. Red passion flower is now a no no for my garden. Mary

Hello everyone, I used to be very active around 2008-2010, but I had to put my passion for gardening in butterflies aside in order to focus on highschool. I have now graduated highschool, enrolled in college, and I am in the process of restoring my backyard gardens to their former beauty before they were ruined by drought and choked out by weedy grasses that grew after many heavy rainfalls. This time around, I am going to mix potting soil with the natural soil to help keep in moisture and use gardening mats to keep the weeds to a minimum. I was wondering if anyone had some plants (or roots, rooted cuttings, tubers, dormant clumps or roots) to spare for a trade or some type of sasbe or box. I am especially interested in natives (accross the USA) and Asclepias (other than Tropical Milkweed) to grow for Monarchs. I do have the proper tools and outdoor conditions to all types of Milkweeds even northern varieties. (I can go into detail upon request.) I have spent my free time researching the special growing conditions for many plants that are not native to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas (southern most tip of Texas) and have had success growing several northern varieties of Blackberries, which are extremely picky down here due to our humidity, heat, and soil. I have also grown Pears, Apples, and Plums, all of which are not native and should not be easy to grow here, yet here they are. If anyone is willing to work out a trade or something, please let me know! I am also interested in hearing about you all's gardens and what plants are most successful as nectar and host plants. Thank you all for your time, Danny (I also posted this in the Seed Exchange section, since this is only for plants)