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Grow Milkweed for You and the Monarchs

Posted at 1:55 PM, Jul 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-03 13:55:15-04

Support the monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and bees while adding color, fragrance and beauty to your landscape by growing milkweed.

The monarch caterpillars only feed on the leaves of milkweed and the adult butterflies can be seen visiting the flowers for a sip of nectar.

Butterfly weed’s adaptability, brilliant orange blooms and monarch appeal won it the 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year. Combine this beauty with yellow, purple and blue flowers.

Common milkweed’s purple-pink flowers are fragrant at night and you will find a variety of butterflies stopping by for a visit. Keep it contained by removing unwanted suckers and seedpods before they open to prevent reseeding.

Or try its less aggressive relative, Sullivant’s milkweed. Also known as prairie or smooth milkweed, it has great butterfly appeal.

Swamp milkweed also has fragrant flowers and tolerates wet and dry soil making it a perfect plant for the rain garden.