Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun
Height at Maturity: 1-3 Feet
Usage: Flower Gardens
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-9
Product Details
Our butterfly weed plants are Asclepias tuberosa, a native milkweed with flat clusters of bright orange flowers from late spring through summer. It hosts monarch caterpillars and feeds many other pollinators. Bare-root plants ship in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for pollinator gardens, meadows and wholesale resale.
Butterfly Weed Size, Zones and Sun
Butterfly weed grows 1 to 3 feet tall in upright clumps about a foot to a foot and a half wide, in zones 3 to 9. It wants full sun, at least six hours. Well-drained sandy or loamy soil is ideal, and it also grows in poor, rocky or clay ground. Once established it handles drought well.
Butterfly Weed Flowers and Pollinators
Bloom runs from about May to August in bright orange to yellow-orange. Monarch caterpillars feed on the leaves, as do gray hairstreak, queen and milkweed tussock moth caterpillars. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and moths come for nectar. Deer and rabbits leave it alone. Our perennials that feed pollinators in spring list shows good partners.
Planting Butterfly Weed
The taproot goes deep and the plant does not like being moved, so choose the permanent spot first. Spread the roots, set the crown at soil level and keep the soil moist until growth starts. Seed-grown plants take two to three years to flower, which is why many buyers start from roots. Our milkweed planting and spread notes go further.
Good to Know About Butterfly Weed
The sap irritates skin and eyes, and the plant is listed as a problem for dogs, cats and horses if eaten, so wear gloves and plant it away from pastures. Wet, poorly drained soil can cause crown rot. Pick a sunny, well-drained bed and it needs little else.
Butterfly Weed Packs and Shipping
Butterfly weed plants ship bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more perennials for sale.