Description
Asclepias verticillata
CT DR P
Soil: Sandy, Well-drained
Moisture: Average to Dry
Light: Full Sun
Plant Height: 1 to 3 feet
Plant Width: 1 to 2 feet
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Great for sunny borders and slopes, butterfly gardens, meadows, and naturalized areas.
An excellent pollinator plant! Upright perennial with unbranched stems and narrow, needle-like leaves that occur in whorls of 3 to 6. Stems ooze a milky sap when broken. Fragrant greenish-white flowers bloom in small, flat-topped clusters in midsummer. Spreads by seed and underground rhizomes but is not invasive. Seed pods can be removed before self-seeding occurs and used in dry flower arrangements. Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, wasps, and native bees. Larval host plant for Monarch butterflies. Tolerates part shade, moist soil, dry soil, and drought.
Planting tip: Whorled Milkweed is a heat-loving plant. Plants are slow to emerge in the spring and will bloom only sporadically in their first year. When planting, be sure NIGHT-time temperatures remain above 50 degrees F. Otherwise, plants may go into a second dormancy. Also, should be planted high so that the crown is above the soil line. Whorled Milkweed resents being transplanted and will drop leaves if stressed.
Warning: All plant parts are toxic if consumed in large quantities. Symptoms include vomiting, stupor, weakness, and spasms.
Landscape plugs, 2″ wide by 5″ deep, sold in quantity 5 or 10
