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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 22, 2024 9:40:25 GMT -5
I know there's a lot of gardeners here. Do any of you grow butterfly milkweed aka butterfly weed? I want some flowers that attract butterflies. Here in Virginia, they are great for that and native to most of the country AND perennial, which I like. I haven't been able to find images of them planted en masse. I want to plant them densely along my fence where they will get full sun. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa |
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ThomasT
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2022
Posts: 624
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Post by ThomasT on Mar 22, 2024 15:52:41 GMT -5
We grow them in some small portions of land... but the plants look like big weeds. Just trying to help the Monarch butterflies a little bit.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 22, 2024 16:15:17 GMT -5
We grow them in some small portions of land... but the plants look like big weeds. Just trying to help the Monarch butterflies a little bit. Thanks! That's what I thought, too. I thought if they were grown a little packed they might be better looking.
I was thinking of a butterfly bush, but they are actually Asian and do nothing for monarchs.
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,980
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Post by khara on Mar 22, 2024 16:38:41 GMT -5
I don’t know anything about this plant but I was just at the hardware store right before they closed and not having much time, I real quick grabbed a bunch of annuals that said “attracts hummingbirds”. I only grabbed ones with that label!🤣 I figured well, this will be a good little project, and it should make little Buzz Buzz happy. We discovered that the little rascal had been sleeping in our house over the cold winter. He found a little vent hole and made it his home. So, we’re trying to encourage him to move away from home. The flowers finally popping up seem to be helping.
I have wanted a butterfly bush for a long time. Didn’t know they were Asian. I do like to have mostly native plants.
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 13,004
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Post by Tommy on Mar 22, 2024 16:43:40 GMT -5
I know there's a lot of gardeners here. Do any of you grow butterfly milkweed aka butterfly weed? I want some flowers that attract butterflies. Here in Virginia, they are great for that and native to most of the country AND perennial, which I like. I haven't been able to find images of them planted en masse. I want to plant them densely along my fence where they will get full sun. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosaThis is very interesting to me. I had no idea that the Monarchs were in trouble although I did seem to notice we don't see as many around anymore. I'm seriously thinking I want to plant a boatload of milkweed on our property near Mariposa ... which I just learned is spanish for butterflies  Apparently the city was named as such due to the flocks of monarch butterflies seen wintering here by early explorers. Every year at the Mariposa fairgrounds they have the butterfly festival which seems to just be mostly a carnival type event. One of these years we'll visit the festival just to see what there is to it. I need to study this... Apparently we have our own California Milkweed which would probably be a good place to start. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_californicaTwelve Native Milkweeds for Monarchs blog.nwf.org/2015/02/twelve-native-milkweeds-for-monarchs/ |
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ThomasT
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2022
Posts: 624
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Post by ThomasT on Mar 22, 2024 17:26:22 GMT -5
Spring has sprung... best to get those seeds going to catch the spring rains.
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Post by liveoak on Mar 23, 2024 9:29:33 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I don't believe Milkweed will grow in our long heat here.
BUT here's a place I read about a while ago in Farm Show, that you can get milk weed seeds cheap, or free if you can't afford them.
Patty
EDIT: I guess I need to re-think, as when I read the above website, they quote some varieties that do grow here !
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