Many North American gardeners buy tropical milkweed seeds or plants each spring. I was one of those butterfly gardeners until I found a way to make my current plants multiply like rabbits!
Hi there,
A lot of my milkweed from last year in pots didn’t make it. I cut my big one back to stop a lot of OE. I’m in California. Milkweed is so expensive and I’m on a budget. I raised so many monarchs last year I can’t wait to do it again. What can I do to lessen the cost of milkweed. Too late to plant?
Thank you
Sallie in Orange County CA
Hi Sallie, winter and spring are typically good times to plant in your region. It’s tough in continuous regions because of the continuous growth cycle of plants and year round monarch population. There are times when you just have to let nature take it’s course and not try to save them all…Here are some ideas for:
Hi Tony. Southwestern Ontario here(zone 5b). Decided to attempt a few seeds this year and picked up some tropical milkweed seeds. Would now be the time to start them or would it be better to wait until mid-March? The late frost date is around the start of May.
Thanks!
Tony,
So thankful that winter is over and that spring is trying to come at last. Saw a few butterflies over the weekend, not monarchs just the cabbage whites. Am so excited one of the October planted A. curassavica has flower buds and two of them are a sturdy foot tall and several others of lesser stature. Sorry that Minnesota got creamed with more snow we just had rain. Enjoy the daffs and some of the other very early spring flowers at a little later than normal bloom date but every thing looks so very healthy as the fresh green foliage always does. Hope you are finally getting some spring weather here in northern Indiana.
Brian from Ossian
Hi Brian, thanks for the update and excited to hear you are seeing your first butterflies. I am actually located in the south metro of Minneapolis which was the lucky side of the storm. We got mostly rain and about a slushy inch of rain that was all gone the next day. It was 75 yesterday! everything is starting to green up here (finally) and we’ll soon discover what survived one of our coldest winters of ALL TIME! Happy spring and keep us posted on your garden….and its visitors.
Hi there,
A lot of my milkweed from last year in pots didn’t make it. I cut my big one back to stop a lot of OE. I’m in California. Milkweed is so expensive and I’m on a budget. I raised so many monarchs last year I can’t wait to do it again. What can I do to lessen the cost of milkweed. Too late to plant?
Thank you
Sallie in Orange County CA
Hi Sallie, winter and spring are typically good times to plant in your region. It’s tough in continuous regions because of the continuous growth cycle of plants and year round monarch population. There are times when you just have to let nature take it’s course and not try to save them all…Here are some ideas for:
How To Save and Grow Milkweed in Continuous Growing Regions
Hi Tony. Southwestern Ontario here(zone 5b). Decided to attempt a few seeds this year and picked up some tropical milkweed seeds. Would now be the time to start them or would it be better to wait until mid-March? The late frost date is around the start of May.
Thanks!
Hi Mike, this is what I do in our similar climate (Minnesota)
Spring Sowing Tropical Milkweed
Tony,
So thankful that winter is over and that spring is trying to come at last. Saw a few butterflies over the weekend, not monarchs just the cabbage whites. Am so excited one of the October planted A. curassavica has flower buds and two of them are a sturdy foot tall and several others of lesser stature. Sorry that Minnesota got creamed with more snow we just had rain. Enjoy the daffs and some of the other very early spring flowers at a little later than normal bloom date but every thing looks so very healthy as the fresh green foliage always does. Hope you are finally getting some spring weather here in northern Indiana.
Brian from Ossian
Hi Brian, thanks for the update and excited to hear you are seeing your first butterflies. I am actually located in the south metro of Minneapolis which was the lucky side of the storm. We got mostly rain and about a slushy inch of rain that was all gone the next day. It was 75 yesterday! everything is starting to green up here (finally) and we’ll soon discover what survived one of our coldest winters of ALL TIME! Happy spring and keep us posted on your garden….and its visitors.