4 Types of Milkweed in Delaware (AND One to Avoid!)
“What types of milkweed should I plant in my garden?”
This may seem like a crazy question if you’re just getting started with native gardening. Why would you want to plant a weed?!
But milkweed isn’t a weed at all. Instead, it’s a flowering plant that attracts butterflies (think Monarchs), native bees, and other pollinating insects, which is an excellent thing!
This article will give you information about common types of milkweed in your area and which ones will be best for your garden. And, keep reading to the end to learn about a kind of milkweed you want to avoid!
4 Types of Milkweed in Delaware:
#1. Common Milkweed
- Asclepias syriaca
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 3 to 5 feet; up to 8 feet.
- Bloom Time: June to August
Common Milkweed is the species most people think of when they hear the name milkweed. It’s a hardy perennial and one of the most common types of milkweed in Delaware.
Milkweed gets its name from the latex or milky white secretions produced if the stem or leaves are broken. The leaves are oval, about six to eight inches long, and dark green.
The blooms of the Common Milkweed plant are clusters of tiny flowers on stems that radiate from the larger central stem. These clusters are called umbels. The fragrant flowers are greenish-pink, pink, or purple and give way to 4-inch seed pods in the late summer and early fall. Initially, the pods are green but slowly mature to brown. Eventually, they split open, revealing seeds and fluffy white material called coma that allows the seeds to disperse on the wind.
Common Milkweed is an incredibly important wildflower in Delaware.
Over 450 native insects feed on the nectar, sap, leaves, and flowers. In addition, it’s an important food source for caterpillars of the Monarch Butterfly (Danuas plexippus). The adult butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on members of the milkweed (Asclepias) family.
Interestingly, all milkweed species contain cardiac glycoside compounds. Monarch Butterflies and other insects consume milkweed and store the compounds in their bodies. Potential predators have learned to steer clear of Monarchs to avoid this dangerous and bitter poison!
Common Milkweed is relatively easy to grow, and it’s one of the easiest ways you can help support Monarch Butterflies. You’ll need a place that receives full sun for planting. Common Milkweed does best in well-drained areas but isn’t picky about soil and can be grown in clay, loamy, or sandy areas. They tolerate poor soils and don’t need to be fertilized. It’s essential never to use pesticides on these plants since they kill species like Monarch Butterflies.
Common Milkweed can spread by seed, or underground rhizomes, which are root colonies. This means you can add Common Milkweed to your garden by directly sowing seeds or planting cuttings from an existing plant.
#2. Butterfly Weed
- Asclepias tuberosa
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 2 to 3 feet
- Bloom Time: May to September
Butterfly Weed is a showy member of the milkweed family. Sometimes called Orange Milkweed, this perennial wildflower features large flat-topped clusters of tiny flowers that grow 2 to 5 inches across. The blooms are brilliant orange or yellow.
Interestingly, its dark green leaves and stems don’t produce the same milky sap as other species of milkweed in Delaware.
Butterfly Weed is an excellent choice for gardens and or wildflower meadows. The beautiful flowers are fragrant and are ideal for cut flower arrangements. They also attract native bees, butterflies, and honeybees to your garden. Butterfly Weed is also a host plant for Monarch, Gray Hairstreak, and Queen butterfly caterpillars.
This native flower is a great low-maintenance choice for the home gardener. Butterfly Weed’s deep taproots mean you’ll never need to water it once it’s established. In addition, this plant is highly drought tolerant and thrives in full sun. Butterfly Weed also does fine without any fertilization but grows best in rocky or sandy soil.
Unlike Common Milkweed, this species doesn’t transplant well and should be started from seed.
#3. Swamp Milkweed
- Asclepias incarnata
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-6
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 3 to 5 feet
- Bloom Time: June to October
As the name suggests, this moisture-loving perennial is typically found growing wild on creek banks and ditches or in openings in swamps, bogs, marshes, and other wet areas. So if you’re looking for a plant for the wet spot in your yard, Swamp Milkweed is a perfect choice.
This species thrives in wet, mucky clay soils. It’s great for planting around ponds or streams on your property. This species requires full sun to thrive and spreads through both seeds and underground rhizomes.
Like other milkweeds in Delaware, the blooms are clusters of smaller flowers. The light pink, purple, or white flowers of Swamp Milkweed will attract various species of native bees and butterflies to your garden. It’s also a host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars.
RELATED: 33 Rabbit Resistant Plants to grow in Delaware!
#5. Fewflower Milkweed
- Asclepias lanceolata
Fewflower Milkweed grows to a surprising 3 to 5 feet tall and features stunning clusters of fiery orange flowers. These tall, narrow plants are tough to spot and almost invisible in their native landscape until they bloom!
However, Fewflower Milkweed still features the tell-tale white sap of the milkweed genus. Like other milkweeds in Delaware, it’s an essential source of food for Monarch, Queen, and Soldier caterpillars that are specially adapted to feed on milkweeds’ toxic sap.
This delicate perennial grows in swamps, wet pinelands, coastal prairies, ditches, and fresh and brackish marshes. It does well in areas that are seasonally inundated with water.
Tropical Milkweed
- Asclepias curassavica
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 8-11
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 3 to 4 feet
- Bloom Time: March to November in temperate climates, year-round in tropical climates.
This non-native milkweed plant has become popular in recent years because of its flowers’ bright red coloring and how easy it is to plant and maintain.
Unfortunately, Tropical Milkweed planted in Delaware may do more harm than good.
It carries a parasite of Monarch Butterflies called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, or OE, which can cause defects in the wings of Monarchs. Since it doesn’t die back and can bloom late, the plant itself may also confuse Monarchs by signaling a breeding season when it’s time to migrate.
To ensure you’re planting milkweed that will help your local ecosystem and attract native pollinators, always choose a native species!
Marketers of Tropical Milkweed seeds will use the names Mexican Milkweed, Bloodflower, Mexican Butterfly Weed, Mexican Orange Milkweed, and Semi-Tropical Milkweed. Steer clear of all of these!
Are you looking for more information on milkweed in Delaware?
Check out this guide!
Do you have milkweed in your garden?
What’s your favorite thing about this plant? Leave a comment below!
