Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Butterfly Weed

Description:

Lovely rounded umbels of fragrant white flowers in summer; provides nectar for butterflies, especially the Monarch; thrives in heavy, wet soils, as well as rich garden soil; great for sunny areas, pondside or in the landscape

Ornamental Features

Milkmaid Swamp Milkweed features showy white flat-top flowers at the ends of the stems from mid to late summer, which emerge from distinctive creamy white flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Milkmaid Swamp Milkweed is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Milkmaid Swamp Milkweed is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Milkmaid Swamp Milkweed will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 32 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This is a selection of a native North American species.