Red or Swamp Milkweed is a rosy-pink flowering native that thrives where other plants struggle: in consistently moist soil and wet ground throughout North America. Hardy from zones 3 to 9, this heirloom reaches up to 5 feet tall in ideal conditions and fills the garden with clusters of sweetly fragrant flowers that attract monarchs, other butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. It's the plant to choose when you want to support pollinator populations while enjoying a garden that smells like vanilla.
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High
3-9
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Moderate
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The rosy-pink flower clusters release a genuine sweet vanilla fragrance that perfumes the entire garden, and they appear in such abundance that the plant becomes a beacon for monarchs and other butterflies. Unlike many ornamentals, this native milkweed actively improves its environment by supporting entire pollinator ecosystems. It genuinely thrives in the wet spots where conventional garden plants fail, transforming problem areas into wildlife havens.
This is a pollinator plant first and foremost. Gardeners grow Red or Swamp Milkweed specifically to feed monarch caterpillars and adult butterflies, and to provide nectar for bees, hummingbirds, and other beneficial insects. It serves as a functional element of wildlife gardens and native plant landscapes rather than a traditional ornamental.
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Start seeds indoors in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date to give transplants a strong head start.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days before transplanting outdoors after your last frost date. Space plants 12 inches apart in consistently moist soil in full sun.
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“Asclepias incarnata is native to wetlands and moist ground across much of North America, where it has supported monarch butterfly populations and other wildlife for centuries. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds recognizes it as an heirloom variety worthy of preservation, acknowledging both its ecological importance and its role in home gardens where pollinators matter.”