Asclepias Gay Butterfly Milkweed


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Description / Asclepias Gay Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias Gay Butterfly Milkweed is a native wildflower that grows 18 to 24 inches tall and blooms all summer, continuing well into fall. This milkweed variety is valued for its compact, bushy appearance and long-lasting clusters of bright flowers in fiery shades of orange, red, and yellow. Its flowers are an important source of nectar for butterflies and many other pollinators, including hummingbirds; and the narrow, lance-shaped leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars). Seedpods follow the flowers and are quite attractive and often used in autumn decorations and in dried floral arrangements.
An Asclepias tuberosa variety, commonly called milkweed or butterfly weed, Gay Butterfly is a member of the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae). An herbaceous perennial in Zones 4-9, this cold hardy plant is perfect for massing in large drifts throughout a meadow or prairie. But it's one of the showiest wildflowers, and its small stature lends itself to modern gardens, especially butterfly gardens, native plant gardens, and even rock gardens, but it can also be grown in a container. If allowed, milkweed will freely self-seed, so it's perfect for naturalizing and for erosion control, and it makes a gorgeous flowering border.
Gay Butterfly Mix can be planted almost anywhere and requires little care once established. It grows best in sunny locations with average, dry to medium moist, freely draining soils, but it grows well in poor, dry, and unimproved soils and tolerates drought. The plants are deer and rabbit resistant too.
Plant Gay Butterfly roots in spring, placing them 12 inches apart and 1½ to 2 inches deep. Choose your location carefully, as milkweed does not transplant well.
A native plant, milkweed or butterfly weed is indigenous to the prairies and grasslands of the Midwest and Great Plains and can be found from Maine to South Dakota to the desert southwest to Florida. Native plants are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Naturally adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the region, they thrive without fertilizers or extra watering, once established. They also act as natural pest controls, reducing the need for pesticides in the garden. Landscaping with native plants promotes biodiversity and provides shelter and quality food for wildlife and pollinators, bringing gardens to life.
Sap may cause skin irritation.
Product Details
SKU | 44457-PK-3 |
---|---|
Item Form | Bareroot |
Genus | Asclepias |
Species | tuberosa |
Variety | Gay Butterfly |
Product Classification | Perennials |
Habit | Upright |
USDA Zone Low | 4 |
USDA Zone High | 9 |
Sun / Shade | Full Sun |
Bloom Color | Multi-Color, Orange, Red, Yellow |
Bloom Season Start | Early Summer |
Bloom Season End | Mid Fall |
Foliage Color | Medium Green |
Resistance | Cold Hardy, Deer Resistance, Drought Tolerant |
Special Features | Bird Lovers, Bloom First Year, Butterfly Lovers, Easy Care Plants, Flower, Fragrance, Hummingbird Lovers, Native |
Uses | Beds, Border, Containers, Fall Color |
Zone | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
State Shipping Restrictions | GU, PR, VI |
Shipping Method Restrictions | none |