They come in scarlet & gold colors (what I have in my garden) and also in solid gold, which I want to get, to have a mixture of both.
Other common names for this plant: Bloodflower, Mexican Milkweed, Pleurisy-root, Canada-root, Indian posy, orange-root, orange swallowwort, tuber root, whiteroot and wind root. Shoot... that's a lot of nicknames!
Milkweeds can be planted any time after the last frost. If you want monarch and queen butterflies, this is the plant to go for... I have seen one or two monarchs just recently. They tend to come during the warm months of the summer. This is a host to the monarch and queen butterflies, so when you see caterpillars on them, don't freak.
Kim also warned me about the little yellow bugs that are typically attracted to the milkweed. (I'm going to eventually post about the ladybugs - they eat the yellow bugs :)
Milkweed is a "trouble-free perennial that will come up year after year in the same place without crowding its neighbors." Yeah - I like that! It returns and it doesn't crowd. Sweet.
It's drought tolerant, but I still have watered mine well. If I see a yellow leaf, then I back off of the water. This plant has a long root, so don't plan on transplanting it after it's established in a garden.
Honestly, even if it didn't attract butterflies, I'd still want this plant. I think the blooms are unique.
No comments:
Post a Comment