showy milkweed

Asclepias speciosa

Type:: Monarch larval hosts
native perennials
perennials that last
Notable Traits:: attracts butterflies/pollinators
butterfly caterpillar food
midwest native
ornamental fruit & seed
resistant: deer
resistant: disease
resistant: rabbit
tolerates clay soil
tolerates harsh roadside conditions
wildlife food source
Hardiness:: Zone 3 – 9
Mature Height:: 3-4ft
Light:: sun (8+ hrs)
Water:: drought tolerant
requires regular watering
Bloom Color:: pink
Bloom Shape:: cluster
Bloom Time:: summer
Foliage:: green
Butterfly Host:: Monarch

Description

Showy milkweed produces dusty pink flower clusters in mid-summer atop large, glossy leaves that resemble a rubber tree plant. Flowers are followed by large, decorative seed pods.

NATIVE TO THE WESTERN HALF OF THE U.S.

Companion Plants

spotted bee balm

Monarda punctata

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Echinacea pallida

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Missouri primrose

Oenothera macrocarpa

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little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium

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butterfly weed, milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa

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common milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

Common milkweed produces dusty pink flower clusters in mid-summer atop large, glossy leaves that resemble … Continued

showy milkweed

Asclepias speciosa

Showy milkweed produces dusty pink flower clusters in mid-summer atop large, glossy leaves that resemble … Continued

whorled milkweed

Asclepias verticillata

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giant milkweed

Calotropis gigantea

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swamp milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

Swamp milkweed sports lightly fragrant flower clusters from early summer through fall. Plants grow 3-5′ … Continued

‘Silky Gold & Red’ tropical milkweed

Asclepias curassavica

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tall green milkweed

Asclepias hirtella

Plants grow up to 4′ and produce white flowers. This species prefers medium-wet to dry … Continued

spider milkweed, green antelopehorn

Asclepias viridis

Attracts monarch butterflies and a host of other insects while being tolerant of heat and … Continued

green comet milkweed

Asclepias viridiflora

Produces copious amounts of nectar especially adored by bumble bees. Flowers have a sweet odor … Continued

Sullivant’s milkweed

Asclepias sullivantii

Easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun, plants may self-seed in … Continued