Common Milkweed Seeds
SKU: AM015842
Shipping:
Most orders ship within 24-48 business hours.
Overview
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) produces purpleish pink flower clusters that wildflower gardeners love. Milkweed is one of the Monarch Butterflies’ favorite plants and will bring many winged friends to your garden or meadow. It can be a challenge to grow but once established it will thrive for years to come and spread quickly. Perennial.
key features
Botanical Name
Asclepias syriaca
Advantages
Native, Bee Friendly, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance, Naturalizes, Fragrant, Mass Plantings, Container Planting, Erosion Control
Growing Zones
Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8
Life Cycle
Perennial
Light Requirements
Full Sun, Half Sun / Half Shade
Soil Moisture
Average
Mature Height
30-60" tall
Seed Coverage
packet covers 5-10 sq. ft.
1 oz covers 270 sq ft
1/4 lb covers 1,075 sq ft
1 oz covers 270 sq ft
1/4 lb covers 1,075 sq ft
Bloom Time
Summer
SKU
AM015842
Description
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a handsome, straight plant you see in every farm field and growing wherever a roadside hasn't been mowed. Leaves are glossy and thick, and the blooms are large, rounded clusters of purplish/pink flowers atop plants that range from 2 to 5 ft. It's native in the US from Canada to Georgia, and west to Texas.
The botanical name, "Asclepias"; is after Aesclepios, the Greek God of medicine, since this plant has been used as a medicinal since ancient times. "Milkweed" derives from the fact that when you break a stem, sticky white sap immediately appears. Common Milkweed is one of our commonest "weeds," but one almost all wildflower gardeners want.
This is the plant famous for its "silky seeds" in fall, when you see the drying cone-shaped seedpods crack open and their snow-white shiny fluff flying around the meadow. This is the dispersal mechanism for the large shiny seeds of common milkweed. Every kid loves to blow them away in fall, like dandelion seeds in spring.
Even though farmers hate milkweed, you'll love it in your wildflower garden...for two reasons. It's beautiful and dependably perennial, and it's the No. 1 plant visited by Monarch butterflies on their famous migration south every summer and fall. In fact, during late summer, it's somewhat rare to see a milkweed plant without a monarch perched upon the flowers, making it the No. 1 butterfly magnet among our wildflowers. ("Butterfly Weed" is a close relative, with bright orange flowers.)
Native Range for Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) - AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV.
