Little bees and this year’s Monarch butterflies love them the most (the bees are adorable and completely non-aggressive), and I’ve found them to be VERY low-maintenance. Should plants be fertilized during growing season? Hi Tony, I’ve got tropical milkweed growing from cuttings last fall. shop milkweed seed packets > Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica one gram Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica one gram SKU: $8.00. (i.e. I live in Southern California and I am in my third year with a monarch garden. I have lost 75 percent of the leaves! I’m very excited. If so, how do we know how many species we had then? Monarch Butterfly Garden- Bring Home the Butterflies, Butterfly Garden Ideas and Gardening Tips to Attract Monarchs, Swallowtails, Hummingbirds, and other Precious Pollinators, Asclepias curassavica: Tropical milkweed, Mexican milkweed, Scarlet milkweed, Bloodflower, Swallow-wort, Silkweed, This milkweed also attracts eastern tiger swallowtails, giant swallowtails, hummingbirds, painted ladies, pipevine swallowtails, queens, wasps, and more…(If you know other pollinators tropical milkweed attracts, please comment below. The flowers are a great source of nectar for butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other beneficial insects. In my opinion, tropical milkweed has been an invaluable addition to our garden for supporting both caterpillar and butterfly. Here they are an animal of the suburban garden and eat exotic plants, there are no native plants of significance. Can I leave them where they are and they will return, or should I bring some inside? thanks. But when the card… I have seen a couple of black swallowtails on them, as well as miscellaneous small butterflies, but no Monarchs yet. I have a Silky Gold Butterfly flower. This tropical milkweed yes? Mexican Milkweed is a thin, unobtrusive little plant that can be squeezed in among other perennials and shrubs and still counted on to show off its pretty flowers. We will share methods to propagate by seed on another page. Hope you can help! It blooms from spring to fall. I believe we have Asclepias curassavica L.- based on the pictures. I have to say though that my seeds germinated in about a week in peat pellets with a plastic dome over them, I got about 99% germination too. I really would hate to destroy future Monarchs by taking the eggs, but if mamas keep laying them on the plants intended to feed the last 4 indoor babies, do I have a choice? We can not, and should not, try to return to some arbitrary point in history because the world has moved on. As caterpillars, monarchs ingest the parasite along with their normal milkweed meals, and when they hatch from their chrysalises they are covered in spores. Also known as milkweed, butterfly weed, blood flower, and sunset flower. As for getting “real” curassavica, check out the milkweed stores section on my resources page. I understand that we have over 100 species of milkweed now. Are you talking about tropical milkweed (A. curassavica) or butterfly weed (A. tuberosa)? Thank you so much for the quick response. I transplanted it into a 5″ planter and I notice that there are small shoots growing. It should start putting our new growth. TN. You can keep the water at a good temperature by putting the seeds in a small bowl of water and placing it on a heated seedling mat. This plant has gained attention in recent years because some types are the sole host plant for monarch butterfly larvae (babies). It only takes 2 caterpillars to devour an entire plant in their 2 week life span. I wish I could attach a picture as it looks like Tropical Milkweed as well, not Butterfly Weed asclepias tuberosa. I live in Orlando. good luck! Yes, you can take cuttings with buds and I would remove most of them. Hi Lolly, since there are monarchs in your region year round, I would cut back when there is a lull in activity. Is 1492 and the great Columbian exchange the date? I am in zone 6 and it is the end of May 2018. Tropical and swamp milkweed both grow well in containers. My tropical milkweed plant leaves have been totaly consumed by the caterpillars all that remains is a barren stalk. There are also healthy seedling plants growing beneath them. That will help you raising future butterflies…good luck! My question is similar to the one above: is it too late on February 29th to cut them back? You can spray the aphids off with water or gently squeeze them on the plant to kill them. If you haven’t already tried a marigold nearby, I recommend it wholeheartedly! Asclepias seeds germinate easily, but they don t like being transplanted, so sow them where you would like them to bloom. I have it quarantined from my other plants but don’t want to spray it and kill my butterfly eggs. Hi Nancy, cutting back around this time or during a slower part of the season is a good idea. I’m so excited! Unavailable per item Scarlet red milkweed. there are more disease issues in Southern California because the continuous growing season means plants can collect spores and bacteria. Many people are starting to believe that tropical milkweed is solely responsible for the spread of OE when the spores can be present on ANY milkweed variety, native or non-native. If you aren’t able to find a local nursery that sells pesticide-free plants, check out our suggested stores that ship: I’live in central Florida and just planted 10 Silky Deep Red Milkweed purchased from a big box store. It is mid November and I still have quite a few monarchs visiting the top flowers and leaves. Tony, I love your effort but I am really concerned that more native milkweeds are not being promoted here. surprisingly, they laid their eggs on dill plants next to the milkweed and the cats were very large and healthy (and hungry). Tropical milkweed grows quickly and is a favorite egg laying milkweed for monarch butterflies. Hi Renee, tropical milkweed seeds and it can also be started with stem cuttings: Hi tony Anyone grow tithonia diversifolia i have done other mexican sunflowers. Quick growing. Could I plant 3 or 4 tropical milkweeds in this same pot, or would that be too crowded? Hello, I am just learning about tropical milkweed. I know this from my own personal experience and from talking to many other gardeners across the country. When the temps spiked to 104+ for several days, it would wilt in the afternoon, but perk back up after sundown. As soon as I got home, I clipped off a few branches and put them inside my net. Thanks for your experience – I have never done this kind of planting before. The bloodflower, or sunset flower (A. curassavica) is another stunning variety, with red and yellow flowers and a max height of about 36 inches. But I was told that it didn’t matter, since monarch butterflies don’t breed in SF anyway. Please let me know. Cuttings should be made from healthy plants. As for your native comments, I agree 100%. Asclepias curassavica grows easily from seeds, reaches two to three feet (60 to 90 cm) tall and spreads to about one-and-a-half to two feet (45 to 60 cm). You can always leaf mulch the soil to increase their chances of returning next spring…yes, it’s amazing how the tropical species survive freezing temps. Beatriz, OE can be spread to monarchs through any variety of milkweed, both native/non-native. Tender perennial in Zones 7-10. I apologize for reposting. All cuttings (10 so far) have rooted in water when placed in a windowsill. Is it possible to cut back this plant to rejuvenate it? Thanks for all you insights. Thanks! You could also take stem cuttings and place them in water…that keeps milkweed fresh for a much longer period and you will have an abundance to feed your indoor cats. I ask this because ive had some monarchs cacoon go grey or go black and dry up however I’ve seen others do just fine and i live in Southern California. Isn’t this a natural occurrence? There is another issue we have to consider and this is what really matters. Actually, Asclepias tuberosa is the best and primary food source of monarch butterflies. Asclepias is a popular wildflower in the family of plants often known as Milkweed. I replanted into a clay pot and set it out in the sun. Please take caution in planting this particular species. 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