Nectar Plant
Common milkweed is a Missouri native perennial that stands 24-36 inches tall, though wild plants can reach 3-4 feet or occasionally taller. It produces domed clusters of fragrant, pinkish-purple flowers from June through August that attract butterflies in abundance. Hardy in zones 3-9, this rough-stemmed plant thrives in poor, dry soils and spreads readily by rhizomes, often forming extensive colonies in fields and along roadsides. Its showy seed pods add interest late into the season, and deer won't touch it.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-9
36in H x 12in W
Perennial
Low
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Common milkweed produces fragrant, pinkish-purple flower clusters that emerge from the upper leaf axils over a three-month bloom window. The thick, broad-oblong leaves feature distinctive reddish veins and can reach 8 inches long, creating a bold textural presence even before flowers appear. Once established, this plant essentially takes care of itself in poor, dryish soils, spreading via underground rhizomes to create the kind of landscape-wide monarch habitat that native plant gardeners dream of.
Common milkweed is primarily grown to naturalize areas and create habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Its fragrant flowers provide nectar throughout summer, while its leaves are the essential food source for monarch caterpillars. In native plant gardens and meadow restorations, it serves as a foundational species that helps establish the ecological framework that attracts and sustains butterfly populations.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date. Sow at a depth of 1/4 inch and transplant outdoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date when seedlings are ready.
Transplant seedlings outdoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date, spacing plants 12 inches apart. Harden off seedlings before moving them to their permanent location.
Sow seeds directly outdoors 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date, or sow in fall for spring germination. Direct sown seeds will emerge in spring when soil warms.
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“Asclepias syriaca is a rough, weedy Missouri native perennial that commonly occurs throughout the state in fields, open woods, waste areas, roadsides, and along railroad tracks. Its presence in these marginal spaces reflects both its ecological adaptability and its historical role as a colonizer of disturbed ground. The plant's common name and its scientific epithet (syriaca, meaning 'of Syria') reveal the intersection of human observation and botanical naming tradition, though the species is solidly rooted in North American ecology.”