This will be my first year growing swamp mw, and I will be planting it in an area where it will receive mostly sun with a little afternoon shade. The references I read say full sun to part shade, so I doubt it will do well in heavy shade.

Dana

Most species need a good amount of sun. Two species that will grow in shade are A. exaltata (part shade) and A. quadrifolia (full shade), though neither one likes it wet.

That should be interesting! Hopefully you or someone else can identify your milkweed if it blooms!

I can't say in your locations, but in mine; asclepias tuberosa can be found growing wild underneath large pines, and they receive shade/dappled sunlight; for a large part of the day. I do see them bloom, especially in late summer, early fall.

I had tuberosa bloom wonderfully in a spot that did not receive full sun all day. (It was, though, mostly sunny.) I have some swamp milkweed coming up for the second year in a spot that's half shady. I figure even if it doesn't bloom the foliage might do some good. Fingers crossed.

Some of the woodland species, as mentioned above, can take dappled shade but I think "highly shaded" might be a stretch.

I have new neighbors and they cut down a huge oak tree on the property line. This allows more sunshine to fall on the eastern side of my house in late afternoon and it shines on my mystery milkweed. It is producing buds and should start blooming any day now. It looks like white blooms. I'll post pictures when the blossoms are open.

Martha

Martha, is it soup yet?

Four, thank you for checking back on my mystery milkweed. I'm pretty sure it is Poke Milkweed, or Asclepias exalta. Here is a photo of the plant in blossom.

Martha

It turns out, I might have a hybrid of Common and Poke Milkweeds. Poke milkweed supposedly does not spread by rhizomes, according to one source (which I can't remember). But, my plant is definitely spreading by the root system. I do have Common Milkweed growing very close to these plants, and they look completely different. Monarch Watch does say that Common and Poke Milkweeds can cross.

Martha

I presume that you saw photos of A. exalta in which the leaves resembled
those in your photo. I did not see the resemblance in photos that I viewed.

I have seed of A. perennis I will grow this coming spring. It reportedly will grow and bloom in high or dappled shade.

A gardener living in Louisiana grows it in shade. He said it wasn't happy in sun during his hot summer days so he moved it to a shaded garden bed and it grew beautifully for him. ... Mary

mary, where did you find the a. perennis seed? i need to track some down!!

Lena, I bought my seed from this Florida Nursery: Restless Natives Nursery

You will need to scroll down a bit on the page to find the listing for the A perennis seeds. They also sell potted plants to the 'local' community; they do not ship.

Mary

@docmom-gw could I have some seeds from the milkweed in your photo? I have common milkweed, tropical milkweed, swamp milkweed, Indian milkweed, poke milkweed, hall's milkweed, prairie milkweed, spider milkweed, zizotes milkweed, western sand milkweed, butterfly weed, white milkweed, desert milkweed, etc.....