Checked my Common Milkweed...
gardenfullofswallowtails
6 years ago
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gardenfullofswallowtails
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Common Milkweed...[p]
Comments (4)Joan: I have these and Asclepias tuberosa growing in that field. There is also Queen Anne's Lace and maypops everywhere. Towards the fall there will be iron weed and if I remember correctly, goldenrod. A butterfly haven! Unfortunately, that is about to become my front yard and we'll most likely keep it cut. Maybe I can talk the wife into leaving a nice swath down by the road for the butterflies......See MoreCommon Milkweed
Comments (11)Melissa, I, too, read the warnings of the common MW spreading so I planted mine in a big pot; one of those big plastic work tubs with the rope handles. Drilled lots of big holes in the bottom, lined the sides with bubble wrap and then filled with good potting soil and old decaying leaves, then mulched the top once the seedlings emerged. The bubble wrap is my attempt to help keep the roots cool during the heat of the summer. The plants didn't do a lot last year and I'd begun to worry that growing in a tub was a no no. To be fair, it was extremely hot and dry last summer so not the best of circumstances for starting new seedlings. However, this spring, they were the first things up and they're currently 24-30 inches high and looking very healthy. They have such big leaves that they're an excellent source of food for the little Monarch cats. I grow other varieties of Milkweed and planted this particular plant as a backup food source, in case I ran out of the other milkweed. Now I'm thinking I will try growing more plants in ground at the back outside corner of my greenhouse, where they'd be fairly isolated. If they get out of hand, I can always zap them with roundup. However, to answer your question, yes, they appear to be doing quite well in a big pot. photographed April 11, 2011 From Mary...See MoreIs this a photo of common milkweed? - pic
Comments (53)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...See MoreCommon Milkweed...[p]
Comments (6)I agree that the flower is beautiful and the fragrance is wonderful as well. The bees love it (as well as the Japanese beetles). It does tend to spread, but the stalks are easily pulled up. Thanks for posting a picture of this often neglected host plant for butterflies....See MoreIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
6 years agodocmom_gw
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6 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
6 years agogardenfullofswallowtails
6 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
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6 years agoJacob Berg
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5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
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5 years agoily68
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Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)