Virginia ecotype - Henrico County
- Duration: Perennial
- Habit: Upright, spreading, naturalizing
- Size: 2-5 ft. high, half as wide
- Flowering time: Jun, Jul, Aug
- Bloom color: White to cream-pink
- Habitat: Roadsides, open woods, ditches, meadows, abandoned fields
- Moisture: Average to moist, well draining or seasonally wet; adaptable to drier sites once established
- Light: Full sun, part sun; best performance and growth in full sun
- Soils: Sand, clay, loam, gravely, well draining
- Uses: wild meadows, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, large containers, monarch waystations
Grower's Note: Common milkweed is a highly vigorous spreader that may not be suitable for small gardens, or may require some planning for its location. Common milkweed can spread in optimal conditions underground by up to 8 or more feet in a single growing season, and can form dense colonies.
Asclepias syriaca (Common milkweed)
Common milkweed is a very adaptable, colonizing plant that grows 2-5 feet tall and spreads widely underground and by seed to form colonies. It's an important source of food for Monarch butterfly caterpillars, being one of only a few locally occurring plants this beloved insect can use as a host. Common milkweed is one of the more preferred milkweeds by Monarchs to lay eggs upon.
Milkweed's use for wildlife goes beyond its host status. In early to mid-summer, milkweed produces large, spherical clusters of fragrant, white to cream-pink flowers that are fragrant and extremely attractive to a wide range of pollinators, in particular bumblebees. Several specialist insects feed on the seeds of the plants, and are harmless to the health of the plant.
Common milkweed plants prefer moist, well-draining sites, but can tolerate average or dry soils when given time to get established in cooler months. They can grow in a wide range of soil types. The species prefers as much sun as it can get, but will tolerate part sun, but will struggle in too much shade.
In late summer and fall, the plant produces large seed pods that split open to release silky, wind-borne seeds, aiding widespread dispersal. Common milkweed plants spread widely underground, sometimes ten feet or more in a single season, to form a colony over time. As such common milkweed may be best for wild gardens or large containers.