There are multiple milkweeds native to our area, some more commonly available as others. Most people are familiar with Asclepias syriaca, the common milkweed, because it spreads so readily. That one spreads via rhizome and is quite opportunistic and will fill in wherever it can fit.
This is not that. In fact, this is a species that many people struggle to site properly or establish. This one has a taproot, making it difficult to transplant successfully once established. It is also very sensitive to soil conditions, prone to rotting with too much moisture.
However, if you are up for a challenge, and have a good spot to site this where it is likely to survive and thrive, the results will absolutely be worth your effort. I can also impart my tips and tricks to increase your chances of success. I have killed these and learned from my mistakes. I’ve also grown them from seed, successfully planted out and established, and they’ve come back the following year.
How I plant milkweed and other plants
Heavy clay soil isn’t necessarily a problem here. I think the problem is most people plant them too deep. If you were to visit my garden, you’d find that my beds are somewhat raised from the surrounding ground. I create miniature berms in the areas where I plant, so that the crown of the plants are inches above ground level. The rest is filled in with arborist wood chips (which are free). All of this will eventually break down and sink closer to ground level, but the crown will always remain slightly above.
This trick has allowed me to establish many types of plants that are otherwise a challenge to grow. I have purple milkweed growing nearby, which is arguably even more difficult to establish than orange milkweed. Whorled milkweed also grows on my property. Best of all, the way I plant involves very little digging unless the roots are deep enough. There are always several inches of roots above ground in new plantings.
Species standard vs ‘Gay Butterflies’
‘Gay Butterflies’ is a seed strain mix that is available through a number of seed sellers. I obtained a small amount through Jelitto to test it out. I’ve also seen Baker Creek selling this one in the past. This is just like the standard or typical orange butterfly milkweed, the only difference being guaranteed more variety in the color of the flowers. Most of the time, orange butterfly milkweed will be orange. However, in the wild, you can find anything from gold to red, as the other images show (those are not cultivars).
The seed strain mix is collected from many different colors of milkweed to ensure that you’d potentially get something other than just orange. Since mine haven’t bloomed yet, I have no idea which color they will be.
This will likely be the only year I offer ‘Gay Butterflies,’ as purchased seed, possibly in 2026 as well. I’ve planted both this and the standard orange in my yard. Once my own plants are open-pollinated and begin producing seed, all future seed will be any mix of gold, orange or red. Since I do not need this many butterfly milkweeds right now, I am selling off my leftovers. The “standard” orange milkweeds will be available late spring/early summer 2025.
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