Did you know that Monarch butterflies require milkweed plants as food and larval breeding grounds? Not just need, but require. Other plants/flowers will do as nectar sources, but Monarch butterflies are dependent on milkweed (plants in the Asclepias genus) to survive.
Photo by vladeb
Development, habitat destruction, and chemical herbicides and pesticides have significantly reduced the amount of Milkweed (and other plants) available to Monarchs, which has in turn, resulted in a decrease in the overall Monarch population. This decline has prompted a number of organizations to develop around the world in support of Monarchs and their habitat. Organizations like Monarch Watch and the Monarch Teacher Network have programs to encourage people to plant Asclepias species appropriate to their area.
The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) lists 136 entries for Asclepias (including plant synonyms) in the U.S. and Canada, about 85 of which are identified with a common name containing “milkweed”. Many of these have ranges that extend through much of the United States and Canada, but are listed as: Endangered, Exploitably Vulnerable, Special Concern, Threatened and other similar statuses.
Photo by tlindenbaum
A. incarnata (Swamp Milkweed), A. speciosa (Showy Milkweed), and A. tuberosa (Pleurisy Root) seem to be the most commonly sold Asclepias in the eastern U.S. A. incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) and A. tuberosa are easy to find as seeds – you can purchase them through my affiliate link for Botanical Interests Seeds on the right side of this page. If you Google A. speciosa and A. syriaca, you’ll find a number of retailers selling these seed.
Photo by Salim Virji
I’m growing A. tuberosa from seed this year. I didn’t have luck with the A. syriaca transplants I was given last year. I suspect that they didn’t like being disturbed (big tap root) and would have been happier to have been started from seed. I hope I can meet my Asclepias-growing neighbosr this year, and beg a seed pod or two. Maybe I’ll trade them some of my rampant Monarda!
I had a great time yesterday at the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange. The weather was a bit dreary, but it wasn’t a full-on snow storm like last year.
There were great speakers again this year: “Basic Seed Saving” by Ira Wallace from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and “Dealing with the Challenges of Seed Starting” by Chris Turse from the Washington Youth Garden.
I made some new friends, including a crocheter, a knitter, and a newbie gardener (muahahahaha!).
I shared some seeds:
- Allium schoenprasum (gathered in my yard)
- Allium tuberosum (gathered in my yard)
- Ipomoea purpurea (Morning Glory, Star of Yalta)
- and a couple of other seed packs which I should have written down.
I gained some new seeds:
- Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)
- Amsonia hubrechtii (Threadleaf Bluestar) SO excited about this one. Been wanting to grown Amsonia for a while.
- Cimcifuga racemosa (Actaea) (Black Snakeroot)
- Solanum melongena “Jilo Tingua Verde Claro” (Eggplant)
- Artemesia absinthium (Wormwood)
- Palava Greens (Jew’s Mallow/Jute) Which I believe may be Mulukhiyah
- Impatiens balsamina
- Cuminum cyminum (Cumin)
- Ensete Ventricosum (Red Abyssinian Banana)
- Blue Pumpkin
- Petroselinum crispum ‘Prezzemolo Gigante Napoli’
- Brassica rapa Rapa da Broccoletti (Broccoli Rabe)
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Oxheart’
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Best Boy’
- Solanum lycopersicum ‘Crnkovic Yugoslav’
- Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’ (Nettle-Leaved Mullein)
- Consolida ajacis (Rocket Larkspur)
- Rudbeckia hirta
- Tropaeolum minus ‘Empress of India’
- Lactuca sativa ‘Cook’s Lettuce Blend’ (Lettuce)
- Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
- Cosmos ‘Sensation Early’
- Tropaeolum sp ‘Glorious Gleam’
- Narcissus bulbs ‘Spellbinder’
I have to point out that about half of the items on this list (including the Narcissus) were in my goody bag. Kathy gets some great donations!
It seemed like everyone had a really good time – I know I did. I’m already looking forward to next year.
I have a problem. A book problem. I am addicted to books, so I take large stacks out of the library. I read a bunch and return them, but occasionally I end up with a couple that I’m just not ready to return. So renew them. And renew them again. I bet you can guess which ones are hardest to return: The gardening books.
It’s not like you can just read them straight through, am I right? You read a little and then go back… drool over the pictures (especially in the winter), and flip forward to the plants you are currently lusting after. Then you want to cozy up on the couch with a cup of tea and a big splashy book full of gorgeous plants and gardens that you will never achieve in your current incarnation.
My current compulsion (which I won’t be able to renew again unless I bring it back and check it out again) is The Nonstop Garden. I’ll be putting up a review of this book in the near future. The previous item of obsession was 365 Days of Garden Color, which I ended up buying using a coupon from Borders (love my Borders Rewards card!).
Other recent gardening books I’ve had trouble returning to the library include:
Books I want to read (that will probably contribute to the problem):
What books do you renew again and again?
Check out the Washington Gardener Magazine’s annual seed swap!
Two locations: Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland (January 29th) and Greenspring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia (February 5th)
Details on the Washington Gardener Magazine’s blog. You are invited, even if you don’t have seeds to swap.
My daylilies (Hemerocallis) are confused. Crystal and I traded plants in the fall, and I didn’t get the daylilies in the ground right away, so I stuck them in the garage.
I have a light set up in the garage, courtesy of E. I thought I’d put the plants far enough away from the lights (Really? What the heck was I thinking?), but I guess not. I suppose it won’t hurt them too much (I hope) but it’s too late to do much of anything to stop them from doing their thing.
As a gardener, I get a little bit stir crazy in the winter. I’ve got lots of houseplants that of course need care, but really? I need to get out!
I just received the Calendar of Events for the United States Botanic Garden – one of my favorite places. This issue is for January and February, and it’s packed with things to do! There are programs for children and adults, and a variety of different topics. I’m thinking about doing the Production Facility Tour again, and maybe the medicinal and poisonous plants talk during lunch in February.
Local teachers should take special note of the workshops that focus on using plants and plant research in the classroom. There are workshops for teachers of all levels, and a special night in February for DC Teachers.
Check out the Calendar of Events here. (Opens a PDF document)
The catalogs are arriving now. A blessing and a curse. I’m happy to have bright, shiny pages full of gorgeous flowers to gawk at, but I can’t do a damned thing in my garden right now.
Bluestone Perennials’ catalog arrived yesterday. I was happy to see they are carrying Asclepias verticillata this year. A. verticillata is a North American native plant and is is a foodsource for larval Monarch butterflies. Monarchs are one of a few species of insects that have evolved to require Asclepias species in part of their lifecycle. Another species of insect that has a symbiotic relationship with milkweed is the Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus).
Hummingbirds like A. verticillata, it tolerates wet spots and hot and dry spots (both of which I have in ample supply in my yard), and is generally a plant-it-and-forget-about-it kind of plant. My favorite.
Asclepias verticillata will definitely be a part of my garden plan for next year. How about yours?
I have to thank Hort Couture for making the winter months inside a little more splashy and fun. Their photos are gorgeous. I’m having a lot of plant lust while pouring over their site. Wish I was a retailer…
Blooming in the yard yesterday morning:
