Tough, adaptable & deer resistant, this EASY to grow “Milkweed” tolerates CLAY, SANDY & ROCKY soil & thrives in DRY SOIL. Besides that, it’s pretty, sweetly scented & of course, will draw Monarch butterflies to your garden. Growing 1’ to 2’ tall, its attractive, dark green, finely textured, threadlike foliage is topped by many clusters of pretty, greenish-white blooms. Bloom time starts in midsummer & continues thru Fall with plenty of clusters produced on side branches. Native to the eastern half of the U.S., it does well in average to moist garden soil as well as dry soil. It does spread by runners, but these are easy to pull out if you don’t want it to spread.
USE OF BT UPDATE & GROWING NOTES:
We are pleased to announce that the California Department of Agriculture has recently lifted its requirement that our nursery use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), as a naturally occurring biological insecticide (also commonly used on organically grown fruits and vegetables), as control against LBAM (Light Brown Apple Moth) within the State of California. As a result we are no longer using BT in our nursery. Bt was known to be toxic to caterpillars, particularly the Monarch butterfly caterpillar, which is why we had always advised our customers to wait a growing season (or approximately one year) before introducing Monarch caterpillars to any Asclepia (Milkweed) plants. Waiting a season also helps ensure the plants are large enough and have enough foliage to provide sufficient food and the BT has had time to wear off.