{"title":"Milkweeds (Asclepias)","description":"\u003cp\u003eMilkweeds are the plants monarch butterflies cannot do without. Monarch caterpillars eat nothing else, taking up the cardiac glycosides in the sap and carrying that toxicity into adulthood as a defense, which is why a bird that eats one monarch does not go back for a second. Planting milkweed is the most direct thing a gardener can do for the species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsclepias tuberosa\u003c\/em\u003e, butterfly weed, is the orange one, deep-rooted and drought-proof once settled, and slow to show in spring, so mark the spot before you dig there in April. \u003cem\u003eAsclepias incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e, the swamp milkweed, wants the opposite: damp ground, a ditch or a pond edge, where the plants carry dusky pink flowers on tall stems, and 'Ice Ballet' carries them white. The flowers themselves are worth a hand lens. The pollination machinery is among the strangest in the plant kingdom, with pollen bundled into saddlebags that clip onto a visiting insect's leg.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"asclepias-incarnata-ice-ballet","title":"Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe white-flowered form of swamp milkweed, \u003cem\u003eAsclepias incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e 'Ice Ballet' carries the same upright, well-mannered habit as the species but trades rosy pink for clusters of pure, cool white, held atop sturdy three-to-four-foot stems through summer. The effect is fresh and luminous in a moist border, and just as useful to wildlife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike all swamp milkweeds, 'Ice Ballet' is a native of wet meadows and streambanks, happy in rain gardens, pond edges, and any moist or irrigated bed. The fragrant white umbels feed monarchs, other butterflies, and bees, the foliage serves as a monarch host, and the milky sap keeps deer at bay. Clump forming and tidy, the plant holds structure through the season without running.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant 'Ice Ballet' in full sun to part shade in moist to wet soil, where the white flowers can cool a hot summer planting and weave through pink and purple companions. Native to the eastern United States, easy to grow, and as valuable to pollinators as it is pretty. Leave the slender pods to ripen for silky, wind-borne seed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057813164147,"sku":"ASCL-INCA-ICE-BALL-01Q","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/swamp-milkweed-ice-ballet-woodlanders.webp?v=1784232290"},{"product_id":"asclepias-tuberosa","title":"Asclepias tuberosa","description":"\u003cp\u003eButterfly weed is the orange star of the summer meadow, a strong-growing native perennial of eastern North America and a longtime favorite of gardeners. Flower color ranges from clear yellow to nearly red, but the typical \u003cem\u003eAsclepias tuberosa\u003c\/em\u003e blazes a vivid orange that butterflies, and the eye, find from across the garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnlike the other milkweeds, butterfly weed carries no milky sap and grows from a deep taproot that loves heat, sun, and sharp drainage, shrugging off drought once settled. The flowers feed monarchs and a parade of other butterflies and bees, and the foliage is a monarch host. Cut spent flowers back to spur a longer season and to limit the long pods that split open to loose their parachute seeds on the wind. The deep root resents disturbance, so site once and leave the plant in place.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant butterfly weed in full sun in well-drained, even lean or sandy soil, in a meadow, a pollinator border, or a dry sunny bank, where the orange heads can sing against blues and purples. Deer-resistant, drought tolerant, and long-lived, native across much of the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Quart","offer_id":43055477719155,"sku":"ASCL-TUBE-01Q","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43055477751923,"sku":"ASCL-TUBE-01G","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/C38ADB59-132C-444C-838E-E131D702BFEF.jpg?v=1724690132"},{"product_id":"asclepias-incarnata","title":"Asclepias incarnata","description":"\u003cp\u003eSwamp milkweed brings beauty and biodiversity to the moist garden. \u003cem\u003eAsclepias incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e is a native perennial prized for domed clusters of rosy pink, vanilla-scented flowers and for a vital role in feeding pollinators, native to wet meadows, streambanks, and lowland prairies across much of North America. The plant takes happily to rain gardens, wet soils, and sunny borders alike, a natural for the ecologically minded gardener.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom mid to late summer the fragrant flowers draw monarch butterflies, bees, and a host of beneficial insects, and the foliage feeds monarch caterpillars, so swamp milkweed serves as both nectar bar and nursery, helping sustain declining butterfly numbers. Unlike the running common milkweed, \u003cem\u003eAsclepias syriaca\u003c\/em\u003e, swamp milkweed is well mannered and clump forming, standing upright to three to five feet without taking over.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant swamp milkweed in full sun to part shade in moist to wet soil, in a rain garden, a pond edge, a wet meadow, or a mixed border that does not dry out, where the pink flowers and the butterfly traffic can be enjoyed. Deer tend to leave the milky-sapped stems alone, and a tidy clump returns reliably each year. Leave the slender seed pods to ripen for silky, wind-borne seed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhoto courtesy of Mary Kleim.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"1 Quart","offer_id":43043764797555,"sku":"ASCL-INCA-01Q","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1 Gallon","offer_id":43043764830323,"sku":"ASCL-INCA-01G","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/asclepias_incarnata-danaus_gilippus-keim-e1602610996772.jpg?v=1746647876"}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/collections\/asclepias.oembed","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}