milkweed got to love it

[addy1]

I started with just a few plants here and there. Now I have a lot of plants here and there. It is currently blooming, the bees love it.

The swamp milkweed is going to open soon.

 

[Mmathis]

Awesome! I have swamp milkweed, but have never gotten blooms . The plants are 3 or 4 years old. If it wasn’t for the fact that they are a magnet for oleander aphids (which haven’t shown up yet.....this season....), I’d wonder if they were actually swamp milkweed (were purchased online).

 

[addy1]

This is what my swamp milkweed looks like currently. I planted them as starts in 2016, one inch, they grew had a few blooms. Now covered. I am letting them naturalize where they want to.

 

[Mmathis]

Wow, I’m so jealous!

 

[bagsmom]

Did you start with seeds or plants? Did you order online? I love planting things for our pollinators!

 

[addy1]

The swamp milkweed was starts a farmer markets lady grew. Only a stem with a bit of root. The other milkweed was seeds. It is nicely spreading everywhere. I save seeds then take them out late fall and scatter and stomp so they have dirt contact. Other seeds I just let blow to where they want to land.

If you remind me I can send you some seeds I get tons of both.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Here's how mine currently looks.

Can't wait until it flowers. I've had bad luck in my native garden this year between plants dying, plants blooming late due to our extended winter, and rabbits eating plants. Rabbits got to all of my lanceleaf tickseed buds this year. Not one flowering right now, except one that ended up in my strawberry patch.

My Swamp Milkweed looks a little sick this year, not sure what that's about, and two of them died over winter. My Common Milkweed has the same issues, but my Whorled Milkweed is looking nice and thick this year.

 

[Mmathis]

@addy1 Do you do anything special for your swamp milkweed? Mine is in the turtle-bog, which is where I would think it would grow best, but all it’s EVER done is just......grow......and attract oleander aphids..... No blooms at all in the 3-4 years I’ve had it (is actually 2 separate plants in the bog and I also have a couple planted as marginals in the pond).

Here’s a pic of what the leaves look like. Does this look like a swamp milkweed (Asclepius incarnata)?

 

[addy1]

The leaves look right, maybe they are too wet?

I don't do anything to it. Actually just stuck it in the ground and sort of said good luck. Not in a real wet spot, up near the house where it gets sun, does tend to dry a bit.
I put a few plants down by the pond, they are not doing as well as the ones by the house. The maple that died did shade them so maybe they will do better now.
It is near some day lilies. Stuck in a mulched up place where I am attempting to keeps weeds at bay, we walk through there.

This shot is from the deck. I put a lot of seeds out in the wild flower gardens, need to see if any are growing. We had the right amount of cold and wet to get them going.

Rabbits got to all of my lanceleaf tickseed buds this year

We have rabbits everywhere, they do eat plants but not enough that I notice. Did not touch the tick seeds. The ground hogs are everywhere. Deer eat the lily buds, but only the ones out on the edges. Chipmunks are everywhere, esp since the cats have disappeared. Part of sharing the land with the critters.

I do protect some of the plants from the hogs and the deer, esp when they are small. Then the plants are on their own.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Look what I found out in the native garden today! This is the earliest I've ever seen one, which isn't surprising, because I also saw Monarchs earlier than normal this Spring.