Asclepias syriaca
Once you become familiar with the common milkweed, you will begin to notice it all around in your travels.
This tough plant will grow in some of the worst soils, roadside, open fields, railroad passages, under powerlines, you name it! While it might not be the most delicate of the Asclepias, the flowers and seed pods provide a pleasing aesthetic, and the ecological value of this plant cannot be overstated.
Common Milkweed can be allowed to self-sow in a large area, and create quite the colony, or it’s numbers could easily be controlled by collecting the seed pods before they dry out and split.
Do plan on a decent patch of the common milkweed, as the Monarch catepillars are voracious eaters and if you are lucky enough to have some find your milkweed patch, you will quickly wish you had more!
ECO-TYPE: grown from seed from wild plants found in Plymouth and Norfolk counties, MA
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Asclepias syriaca (Common milkweed)
details
SIZE: type: herbaceous perennial sun needs: sun to part sun water needs: average to dry soil height: 3' plant spacing: space 2' apart bloom time: June, July, August bloom color: purple, pink good plant companions
Butterflyweed, coreopsis, Liatris, black-eyed Susan, little bluestem
special notes
SOMEWHAT edible parts: the leaves. Asclepias leaves are potentially toxic unless cooked correctly. Please only comsume if you are well read on the subject, moderate salt tolerance. Some salt exposure should not be fatal to the plant but some leaf burning may still occur. deer resistant (please note that does not mean deer proof)