Asclepious Tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)

a great splash of colour

You got a nice clump there....lucky butterflies. Very useful and cheerful plant.

Good for you. Have you read Barbara Kingsolver's "Flight Behaviour"? That excellent book is the only reason I know about the monarch butterflies . . .

I haven't read the book, but I will now that you mentioned it. I've been needing some good reading material for my commute to work. Thanks Sheila. The monarchs were nearly wiped out back in the early 90s. I hardly see them anymore.

I do hope the Monarchs will recover, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the book Paul :)

thanks, looking forward to it.

Well done, what a beautiful plant. The butterflies will welcome it.

Thanks Julia, I sure hope they do. This is one of my favorites and it's native. I hope all is going well with you.

Yes thank you Paul. I actually brought some seeds back from Italy for this plant, when I was out there visiting a friend I met through GoY. Sadly, they didn't grow for me. They obviously didn't like the awful weather we tend to get here in the UK. Yours looks fantastic ☺

Hi Waddy

Chiltern seeds sell them

I'm sorry to hear that Julia. They are tricky to get started with a low germination rate & will flower in the 2nd year if left undisturbed. Only now I can just leave them alone and they'll come back every year. I nearly lost them last year to an over zealous gardener.

Too late GG, I've put something else in their place...they don't get second chances in my garden lol!

This is such a fab plant. I"m looking forward to the seed pods that form later on.

waddy

all plants in my garden get a 2nd chance but not a 3rd and 70% of the time I am glad I did ....

It's must be three years since I planted the seeds Paul, so plenty of time I would have thought.

I'll admit this took a lot of diligence and perseverance and only two plants made it this far. I started them indoors.

Bathgate do you have to sow new seeds each year ?

No, this grows from a perennial tap root like a carrot. However, once planted, that's it. It will not transplant well at all.

so it can take you minus freezing then .... I read it likes well drained soil

Yes, it can take either wet or dry soil but must have good drainage and full sun. The whole plant will die down to the ground and re-emerge each spring. This one is actually native to my area but there are many different species under the genus 'Asclepious." There is one called Asclepias Syriaca that I'll be looking for next. Once they settle into the landscape, they require little/no care which is my kind of plant.

Perhaps I should have tried starting them off in the GH, Paul. Ah, well too late now.
What I meant to say GG, was that I might try a plant in more than one place, but not in the same place twice. Hope that made more sense!

Hi Waddy

yes it does make sense to they do get a second chance

If everybody would grow just one of these, we would save the Monarch Butterflies. How sad would this world be if they vanished?

Very sad indeed Paul.