Cultivating Butterfly Weed for Attracting Pollinating Insects
Chillaxin' Gardening 101: A Guide to growing Butterfly Weed
Embrace Mother Nature's vibrant, easy-breezy vibes with butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), a stunning, low-maintenance native plant that invites pollinators to your garden oasis. It's a part of the milkweed family, sharing its love for nurturing a diverse array of colorful pollinator species, as Santino Lauricella, education manager at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, puts it.
From hummingbirds and native bees to butterflies, like glamourous monarchs, this plant is the ultimate host and nectar provider. Lauricella asserted, "Without these plants, the butterflies couldn't survive."
Lisa Kuder, native plants and landscapes specialist at the University of Maryland Extension, shares the scoop on why gardeners adore butterfly weed: its stellar orange flowers bloom from early summer to fall, and it's a tidy, upright perennial that stands proud at just 2 feet tall. Add to that its (mostly) deer-resistant nature, and this plant beauty is perfect for containers, garden beds, or walkways.
Livin' La Vida Butterfly Garden
Butterfly weed's dazzling nectar-rich blooms catch the eye of hummingbirds, good ol' native bees, and butterflies, including the iconic monarchs that coevolved with milkweeds. Rather than quenching their thirst, butterfly weed is a crucial feed source for the tender caterpillars, as they can only survive on milkweed leaves.
Planting
Get things rolling with the right planting approach to give your butterfly weed the best shot at years of gorgeous growth. As Lauricella stated, once established, this perennial will stick around, getting thicker and more lush with passage of time.
What to Plant:Opt for the original native butterfly weed species and avoid cultivars. According to Lauricella, using cultivars might lead insect communities to overlook the plant as food due to changes made during cultivation.
When to Plant:Butterfly weed blooms best when planted in fall or spring. Its long taproot means it doesn't respond well to transplanting, so starting early gives the roots ample time to grow deep. Fall conditions, with cool air, rain, and shorter growing days, foster vigorous root growth.
How to Plant:To plant, dig a hole twice as wide as the container and about as deep. Gently loosen the root ball, place it in the hole, fill it back with soil, and generously water it. Dense plantings and layering can help cut down on maintenance and weed pressure. Sedges make a great, shade-tolerant living mulch.
Maintaining Your Dreamy Butterfly Garden
Lauricella notes that butterfly weed requires little upkeep; just bear a few essential facts in mind.
Watering:
Water deeply after planting, then water sparingly afterward. Kuder states that butterfly weed thrives in dry conditions.
Soil:
Butterfly weed prefers lean, well-draining soil. As Kuder warns, it does not grow well when there are high concentrations of organic matter.
Sunlight:
Six hours of direct sunlight daily is essential. In other words, give that beauty plenty of sun to keep it happy and vibrant.
Fertilizer:
This perky plant doesn't need fertilizer to keep it healthy.
Pruning and Container Growing
Pruning butterfly weed isn't required. Kuder suggests leaving the plant to its natural cycle to ensure a healthy population for the future. The plant makes for a fantastic resource for birds like chickadees, finches, and quail during the colder months.
Growing butterfly weed in pots is possible, but you'll need a container at least one to two feet deep to accommodate the taproot. Keep in mind that butterfly weed prefers to live in the ground.
Propagating
Butterfly weed can be propagated by root cuttings or seed. Root cuttings or taproot sections can be divided in the fall and replanted in moist conditions.
Seed propagation requires cold stratification. For seedlings started indoors, refrigerate seeds for a month before transplanting. Once sprouted, harden the seedlings before transplanting them outdoors.
The Skinny on Butterfly Weed
Did you know there's more to butterfly weed than its enchanting blooms?
A Misnomer:
Despite its nickname, butterfly weed isn't actually a weed. It's simply a plant that could be growing in an unexpected place.
A Dramatic Difference:
It often gets confused with butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), a non-native, invasive plant that hurts pollinators rather than helping. Be a bright flower friend and stick to native beauty.
Toxic Protector:
Monarch butterflies can only be found on milkweed species and rely on these plants to protect them from predators after they transform into butterflies thanks to the toxins stored in their bodies when they were caterpillars.
Not Only for Butterflies:
While it may be called butterfly weed, its real pollinator crowd pleasers are large-bodied bees and wasps.
Fiber Power:
Historically called "pleurisy root," butterfly weed contained medicinal properties. It can also be used to make cord, rope, or even cloth.
Herald of Healing:
The plant's genus is named for Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, and its medicinal past includes treatments for respiratory ailments, sore throats, wounds, and more.
"We have a pharmacy right in our own backyards," Kuder asserts, championing the case for preserving native plants.
[1] Esposito, M. L. (2012). Growing Milkweed There's an App for That. University of Maryland Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/growing-milkweed-theres-app-that
[2] Lauricella, S. (2016). Asclepias tuberosa. University of Vermont Extension. Retrieved from https://uctv.tv/search-and-find-a-plant/americas-native-plants-asclepias-tuberosa.aspx
[3] National Wildlife Federation. (2021). Monarch Waystations. Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify/MonarchWaystations.aspx
[4] Olbricht, M. A. (2019). Host and Nectar Plants for Butterflies and Moths of North America. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/field-guide/best-plants/index.php
Martha Stewart would certainly appreciate the vibrant and low-maintenance 'flower gardens' that grow ‘butterfly weed' (Asclepias tuberosa), which are perfect for attracting pollinators and adding a touch of natural beauty to any 'home-and-garden' setting. To enjoy the stunning orange blooms from early summer to fall, plant 'butterfly weed' in fall or spring, providing it with 'gardening' conditions such as well-draining soil, six hours of direct sunlight daily, and minimal watering, as it thrives in dry conditions. For a dreamy 'lifestyle' butterfly garden, consider adding native plants and avoid using cultivars of 'butterfly weed' to maintain a diverse pollinator population.
