|
Butterfly Gardening Guide
MILKWEED GARDENING GUIDE
Milkweed plants are easy to grow from seed and will keep all the butterflies visiting your garden!
Milkweeds are members of the Asclepias family, and are the only host plants for the Monarch and
Queen butterflies. The adult females can seek out these plants from miles away to lay their eggs on.
The caterpillars that hatch will remain on the plants and eat the leaves until they enter the pupal stage,
and then later emerge as adult butterflies.
By growing milkweeds in your garden you can watch every stage of the butterfly life cycle.
Furthermore, many other species of butterflies will visit the milkweed plants in bloom,
attracted by their nectar,
so you can fill your garden with butterflies!
All milkweeds are easily started from seed and can be either planted directly into the garden or started early indoors.
The following should be readily available from your local garden center as plants or seeds, if not ask them to order!
Or use the link on the left menu to order free seeds.
'Common Milkweed', Asclepias syriaca,
a native of North America, perennial, grows to 3-4', mauve/purple blooms.
'Bloodflower', Asclepias curassavica,
a red and yellow flowered tropical milkweed. Grows to about 3', and is also a fast grower, grown as an annual in cold winter areas.
'Whorled Milkweed', Asclepias verticillata,
a native perennial milkweed which grows to about 2', blooms creamy white.
'Swamp Milkweed', Asclepias incarnata,
a native North American perennial. Grows to 3-4', rosy red blooms, will bloom the first year from seed if started early.
'Swan Plant Milkweed',
Asclepias fruticosa, Native to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, it is grown as an annual in areas with cold winters, and can grow up to 7 feet in one season!
|
