Common Milkweed
$4.00
(Asclepias syriaca)
(Not germination tested*) Native perennial wildflower. Food source for hundreds of insect species; famously, the exclusive food source for Monarch butterflies. Toxic to grazers. Beautiful pinkish spherical clusters of flowers. Large, smooth, oval leaves. Fascinating seedpods which (if you’re a child) are clearly meant to be use as little lopsided boats. The parachute seeds are fun to play with too. The stems have been used for fibre and the fluff is a promising material which people are experimenting with for textile insulation. 125 seeds/packet.
*Wildflower seeds tend to have a high proportion of “hard” seed which will not necesarrily germinate even under favourable conditions. Some will never germinate and some may germinate in future years. Partly because of this, our wildflower seeds are not germination-tested. They are all fresh seed from the past growing season.
In stock
Needs cold, moist stratification, so plant in late fall or refrigerate in moist substrate in plastic for about two months before planting early to mid-spring. Sow shallowly. Tolerates a variety of soils, including poor soil and droughty condititions.