Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
[ah-SKLEE-pee-us too-ber-OH-sah]

Deciduous Perennial Upright, Clump-forming in the Apocynaceae Family
 

About Butterfly Weed

Commonly called Butterfly Weed, this perennial puts out showstopping orange clusters of flowers in midsummer.

As you might guess from the name, butterflies (including Swallowtails) love the sweet nectar this plant produces, so swarms of butterfly wings will appear wherever you have this beauty planted.

Long slender seed pods burst in the fall sending a seed attached to a fluffy floating through your garden to reseed like a weed.

This Asclepias variety is shorter than its cousins and doesn’t have their white, milky sap. It also prefers slightly drier conditions but thrives in full sun, just like the rest of its family.

Pros

  • Shorter, mounding habit
  • Bright orange blooms
  • Pollinator favorite

Cons

  • Cannot tolerate shade
  • Aphids and milkweed beetles can be unsightly but tolerable
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 30 inches tall. 12 - 24 inches wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 3a - 9b
Bloom Period June to August
Flower Color Yellow-Orange
Foliage Color Green
Animals That Use It

Nectar:

 

Awards

 

Rankings

 

Related Articles

 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), coneflower (Echinacea), Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), bergamot (Monarda), goldenrod (Solidago), ironweed (Vernonia), and various asters

Photos of This with...

Purple Emperor Butterfly Bush, Milkshake Coneflower, Adagio Eulalia, Laura Garden Phlox,
 
Want More photos of this plant? Try Google Image Search!
 


Pricing and Availability History

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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About Ordering From The Plant Club

To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

The next order is coming up soon. Here's a link to our ordering calendar. Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!


No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!