Buy Asclepias speciosa

Asclepias speciosa is the western North American counterpart of the eastern A. syriaca with upright stems with oblong leaves topped with dense three inch globes of fragrant, pink, star-shaped flowers which attract butterflies and a wide range of pollinators to their nectar. The plants are a larval host plant for the western North American population of monarch butterflies that overwinter each year in California before making their trek north into southern BC. Showy milkweed spreads by underground rhizomes. Grow in a pot or sink a pot of it in the ground or allow it to spread in naturalized settings. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant.

This stunning native wildflower is wonderful for wildlife gardens! Monarch butterflies rely on it for larval food and nectar while Orioles use the dead stems for nesting materials. This beauty is found from Minnesota to BC and south to Texas and California. This pretty milkweed can be found growing along creeks or in drier situations such as meadows and roadsides. The entire 3-4' plant is densely tomentose and produces its complex pink-white flowers in late summer. This vigorous grower spreads from underground runners, a natural choice for raingardens! S/D-M-W

The preferred milkweed of Monarch Butterflies...also a pretty and tough perennial for the garden! 3’upright stems form a clump with attractive silvery foliage; FRAGRANT rose hued flowers in round clusters in late summer are filled with nectar. PNW Native, needs sun, no water required after the first year, not fussy about soil. Deer and critter resistant. This may overpower wimpy or delicate plants, let it have its own space.

This native milkweed is crucial to the Monarch butterfly. They use this plant for a nectar source AND host plant for their larvae. A gorgeous plant! It has big, soft, grey-green leaves and 3” globes of pink, lightly fragrant flowers. Flowers are followed by interesting seed pods containing silky seed heads. Find a spot in your yard with plenty of room and a permanent place as this plant has a long taproot and spreads into colonies.

Native to areas west of the Mississippi, Showy Milkweed naturalizes along dry roadsides and is definitely a plant for the wild border. Broad ovate gray green leaves adorn 3-4' plants that bear showy pink tinted flower clusters attractive to a host of butterflies, bees and pollinators. It is a must have plant to attract Monarch butterflies.

Cousin to the eastern common milkweed, showy milkweed is native to areas west of the Mississippi, with its range extending into Michigan and Ohio in the East. It is an important species for Monarch butterflies, the caterpillars feast on its leaves and the adult butterflies draw from the rich nectar sources of the pink to purple starry flower umbels. A wonderful and important addition to less cultivated sunny areas, adaptable to dry meadows and rain gardens alike. Moderate spreader by rhizomes.

The Monarch butterfly plant, easy to sell as such! It is unusual and showy with 3 in. globes of fragrant, pink tinged, star-shaped flowers. This increasingly rare plant is the only genus on which Monarch butterflies will deposit eggs. The nectar-filled flowers, opening late summer, produce magnificent seed pods. 2 ft.

Blooms: summer, pink-purple, interesting, vertical seed pods/ deciduous, blue-gray foliage Zone 4-9. 18"-50", PNW, part shade-sun moist, well drained

Undeniably stunning in bloom, everyone who can should grow at least one of our native perennial "Showy Milkweeds" as it is THE native host for our western Monarch butterfly, which lays its eggs on the stems and leaves. Thriving in poor, dry , well-drained soil, it's tough and vigorous with gorgeous large silvery-green, soft-to-the-touch leaves. Atop the 3' to 4' stems, the remarkably FRAGRANT large round clusters are 4" to 5" across and made up of lovely velvety pink and white star-like flowers. Bloom season occurs late Spring to late Summer. Sometime after bloom it will go deciduous but not to worry, it will certainly return next Spring with more stems. Grow it next to your driveway, parking strip, somewhere your hose won't reach, on a hillside and especially in a xeric or native garden. Does well in a large pot, too, 5 gal. & up. Now this is important: Asclepias speciosa looks terrible in a 4" pot and ships dormant until June. But don't dismay, just plant it, water it a bit the first year and don't worry if it disappears, it's just going temporarily dormant. Once it's established, you'll be delighted with the fruits of your patience. And so will our Monarchs, who can smell a milkweed a mile off. Look for their incredible chrysalises, glossy turquoise and emerald ringed with unbelievable glimmering gold beads.

Frosty white buds open to form a dome of fragrant, clove-scented, pale pink stars in summer through fall. Its seed pods are entertaining, too - 4" long upright fuzzy, pointed pods filled with cottony seeds. Remove them before they open if you don't want a lot of babies (Asclepias speciosa, that is). All in all, this is a shockingly ornamental Willamette Valley native! 2-6 feet tall...2-3 feet wide...and can spread via underground rhizomes as well as seeds....be sure to give this plant room to romp! Monarch Butterflies use this plant as a nectar source AND host plant for their larvae! Many other pollinators use this plant as a nectar source, too: honeybees, moths, hummingbirds, and lots of other butterflies. This is a pollinator-friendly plant par excellence! If you want to learn more about milkweeds, visit the Project Milkweed page at the Xerces Society.