Rose Swamp Milkweed: each 1/2 gallon
 
Rose Swamp Milkweed - (Asclepias incarnata)
Easily grown in medium to wet soils in full sun. Surprisingly tolerant of average well-drained soils in cultivation even though the species is native to swamps and wet meadows. Plants have deep taproots and are best left undisturbed once established. Foliage is slow to emerge in spring.
 
Asclepias incarnata, commonly called swamp milkweed, is an erect, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial commonly found in swamps, river bottomlands and wet meadows throughout much of the eastern United States. It typically grows 3-4' tall (less frequently to 5') on branching stems. Small, fragrant, pink to mauve flowers (1/4" wide), each with five reflexed petals and an elevated central crown, appear in tight clusters (umbels) at the stem ends in summer. Flowers are uncommonly white. Narrow, lance-shaped, taper-pointed leaves are 3-6" long. Like all milkweeds, stems and leaves exude milky sap when cut. Flowers are followed by attractive seed pods (to 4" long) which split open when ripe releasing silky-haired seeds easily carried by the wind. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds as a nectar source.
The charismatic and imperiled monarch butterfly requires milkweed plants in order to survive. Monarchs migrate into the eastern U.S. from Mexico in spring to lay their eggs on milkweed species plants. Caterpillars hatch from the eggs and consume the milkweed plant foliage as food for growth and development. Mature caterpillars will search for a nearby, sheltered location to enter the pupal stage and form a chrysalis. Inside, they will complete metamorphosis and emerge as an adult butterfly in around 2 weeks. Flower nectar is consumed by adult butterflies as a valuable food source. The 4th or 5th generation of monarch butterflies that emerges in August-September will migrate into Mexico to overwinter as adults. Significant declines in monarch butterfly populations in North America over the course of the 21st century are believed by many experts to be caused by a reduction in milkweed due to widespread use of herbicide-tolerant row crops, climate change, and loss of overwinter sites due to habitat destruction.
 
Common Name: swamp milkweed  
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Apocynaceae
Native Range: Northeastern and southeastern United States
Zone: 3 to 6
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to August
Bloom Description: White, pink, mauve
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize, Rain Garden
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Wet Soil
 
Category: Perennial, Native
Hardiness Zone: 3-8
Height: 3-5 Feet
Spread: 2-3 Feet
Spacing: 12 Inches
Bloom Color: Yellow
Foliage Color: Silver