A Prairie Nursery exclusive, this natural variation of Butterfly Weed originated on a clay prairie. Butterfly Weed for Clay can be grown in clay soils where the common strain of Asclepias tuberosa struggles. Recommended for planting only on upland sites …
A Prairie Nursery exclusive, this natural variation of Butterfly Weed originated on a clay prairie. Butterfly Weed for Clay can be grown in clay soils where the common strain of Asclepias tuberosa struggles. Recommended for planting only on upland sites, as it will not do well in poorly-drained soils. The long-lasting and bright orange flowers along with its low mounded profile make this the most popular of milkweeds.
True to its name, Butterfly Weed attracts legions of butterflies and is an important larval host for both the Monarch and Queen butterflies. A favorite prairie plant for all types of gardens, mature plants in an ideal location can become gorgeous specimens, with multiple flowering stems spreading across a 2' high plant. Older mature plants have a deep tap root that extends down a foot or more. They can be transplanted if dug carefully during dormancy.
Native plants can be grown outside of their native range in the appropriate growing conditions. This map shows the native range, as well as the introduced range, of this species.
Plant Shipping Rates: for plant orders up to $50 the shipping amount is $9.95. For plant orders from $50.01 and over, the shipping rate is 20% of the total plant cost.
Fall plant-shipping begins on September 9, 2024. The last day to order your plants for fall shipment is September 29.
During checkout, you will be asked to choose a Shipping Week for your plant delivery, from the dates that are available. The week that you choose will be included in your order confirmation email. When your plants ship you will receive an email that includes your tracking information.
Do rabbits eat Butterfly Weed ? I have noticed that they do eat other milkweeds and I have to protect those plants when small.
Butterfly Weed is rabbit and deer resistant. It might not hurt to protect it as well as the others, just to be safe, but generally rabbits and deer do not like Butterfly Weed.
What care is best for the Butterfly Weed for Clay. Compost, mulch, time of year to trim, any watering?
Newly installed plants should be watered thoroughly. For the first few weeks in the ground, check the new transplants daily, especially if the weather is starting to get hot, and water them when the soil becomes dry. We do recommend mulching newly installed plants. Cover the area around your new transplants with 1-3 inches of mulch. This will insulate the plants and preserve valuable soil moisture while the plants become established. When mulching, leave a circle of bare soil, about 2 inches in diameter, around the stem of the plant so water can flow directly to the roots.
Butterfly weed plants should not be cut back or trimmed during the growing season. The leaves of Butterfly Weed provide food for the caterpillars of monarch butterflies. Adult female monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on the leaves after the blooms are spent, so it is important not to cut-back the plants after flowering. In late fall you may decide to cut-back the plants. This will depend upon your gardening style. We recommend leaving your native plants standing through the winter, not only for the winter beauty of snow-covered plants, but because the spent plant material tends to attract more winter birds into the garden.
The following spring, before the ground is soft, is a good time to cut back the spent plant material. The spent plant material can be used as mulch, rather than purchasing mulch. This creates a wasteless cycle that is healthy for the plants and the environment.
Butterfly Weed will typically grow very slowly during the first season but then have a big growth surge in it's second year.
Will these bloom in their first year?
Often there will be some flowering on the new transplants during the first summer, but it will not be a full display. A mature and well established Butterfly Weed plant begins blooming in early summer. What this means is that new spring transplants don't have quite enough time to get well established and fully bloom in their first summer. Butterfly Weed is a very long-lived plant. The display will increase with each year.
Would this butterly weed be able to live in the hot desert of southern Arizona (Zone 9B)? Would it need a sun screen?
If the soil in your location is well-drained and sandy we recommend Butterfly Weed. However, if the soil is clay, we do not recommend Butterfly Weed (for clay soils) in zone 9b.
Are these native? Or are they hybrids of some type?
The Butterfly Weed for Clay is not a hybrid. Neil Dibol found this Butterfly Weed growing in clay soils in Southeast Wisconsin, and the plants we propagate come from this original source. This is a naturally occurring variety that is adapted to well-drained clay. You can contact Neil via our contact form if you need more information about the propagation or source of this species variety.
I received a few plants on September 19. They had yellow, fragile leaves, but mostly no leaves at all. The roots however, feel strong and look fine. Isn’t it too early for Butterfly Weed to be going dormant? Or is something else wrong with the plants, perhaps during shipment?
Thanks for the question! It's very common for fall-shipped plants to be starting to yellow and lose some leaves as they head toward dormancy. This is especially true for plants that have an earlier bloom cycle. Butterfly Weed is a early blooming plant. They bloom in June, and by September the seeds are fully ripe and dispersing, and their job as a plant is basically done for the season. The fading and dropping of leaves can also be increased due to the stress of shipping. This fading can occur earlier than normal on young plants that are contained in a small pots, as well. These young plants don't have the same resilience as a mature plant that has been established in the soil. However, that doesn't mean that the plant is struggling. As long as its roots are firm and healthy, the plants is alive and viable. Plant with care, as you normally would!
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