BOLD ORANGE, STAR SHAPED BLOOMS ON A NATIVE STAR
FEATURES:
- Bright orange flowers appear in early summer and continue to bloom throughout the rest of the season
- Dark green foliage turns a sunny yellow in fall before going dormant
- A fantastic addition to your pollinator or butterfly garden, or in your native landscape
- Serves as a host plant for Monarch butterflies to lay their eggs and as a source of nectar
- Pollinator friendly and attracts hummingbirds
-
Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships in a plant-safe designed box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Mature Height: 1-2' tall
- Mature Width: 1-2' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun
- Spacing: 1-2' apart
Butterfly Weed
Bower & Branch Trees and Plants
Asclepias tuberosa
Regular price
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BOLD ORANGE, STAR SHAPED BLOOMS ON A NATIVE STAR
FEATURES:
- Bright orange flowers appear in early summer and continue to bloom throughout the rest of the season
- Dark green foliage turns a sunny yellow in fall before going dormant
- A fantastic addition to your pollinator or butterfly garden, or in your native landscape
- Serves as a host plant for Monarch butterflies to lay their eggs and as a source of nectar
- Pollinator friendly and attracts hummingbirds
-
Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships in a plant-safe designed box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Mature Height: 1-2' tall
- Mature Width: 1-2' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun
- Spacing: 1-2' apart
Why plant Butterfly Weed?
Butterfly Weed kicks off summer with a bang. When the weather starts to heat up, the show begins—masses of cheerful, tangerine-orange blossoms open in starry sprays. The blooms will attract monarchs, fritillaries, and other lovely butterflies into your yard, so plant this Spirit near your favorite summer sitting area, and you’ll be able to watch them flit from flower to flower while you relax on your deck, porch, or patio. When the blooms fade, a quick trim will encourage new flowers to form. Otherwise, the familiar Milkweed “parachutes” will form. A must for the wildflower garden, but perfectly at home in the mixed border, too.
Calling all monarchs! Give our beautiful native monarch butterflies a boost with Butterfly Weed, a type of Milkweed that monarchs use as a host plant for their young. In fact, monarch caterpillars will ONLY eat Milkweeds, so if you truly want to help the monarchs, this is the Spirit you need to plant. Butterfly Weed grows wild from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast in average to dry soil. In spring, female monarchs that have made the incredible journey to Mexico will head north, following Butterfly Weed and other Milkweeds as they emerge from dormancy. They will lay their eggs and die, their mission completed.
How to use Butterfly Weed in the landscape?
In 2017, the Perennial Plant Association selected Butterfly Weed as the Perennial Plant of the Year. In making their decision each year, the PPA chooses a Spirit that is adaptable to growing conditions over a wide area, that is relatively easy to grow, that is showy during multiple seasons of the year, and that exhibits resistance to pests and diseases.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 3-9
How To Plant Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed loves to bask in all-day sun, and it will grow in just about any type of soil as long as it’s well drained. Once it’s established, the plant will be quite drought tolerant. Butterfly Weed develops a thick taproot to enable it to survive during dry periods, which makes it difficult to transplant, so don’t try to move a well-rooted plant.
How To Prune
Deadhead spent flowers to encourage rebloom. Cut back plants any time before new growth appears in the spring. Be patient—this Spirit is slow to emerge. You may want to mark its location before winter comes, so you don’t forget where it is!
