Apocynacées • Asclepias syriaca

Common Milkweed - Organic

"A wild perennial that nourishes life, from the soil to the monarchs"

$4.49

Number of seeds 60 seeds

Native to North America, Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) embodies the charm of wild gardens. Its upright clumps and star-shaped clusters of pink to mauve flowers, emerging in summer, generously nourish monarch butterflies and other pollinating insects. Prized for its hardiness and vigorous growth, this plant plays a key role in the biodiversity of green spaces.

In the garden, it proves a faithful companion thanks to its climbing or spreading habit, which adorns hedges and borders. Its presence provides fertile refuge for wildlife while enhancing the atmosphere with its delicate and fragrant flowers. Common Milkweed thus embodies the vitality of a nourishing, vibrant, and ecological garden.

Growing climate: Temperate to cool climate
Sowing difficulty level: Medium
Care required: OccasionalNote: Tolerates poor soils and drought well once established.

Common milkweed is one of the iconic plants of the North American prairies. Its young shoots, flower buds, and still-tender pods were traditionally eaten after prolonged cooking in several changes of water to reduce their bitterness and the latex they contain.

Its silky down, abundant inside ripe fruits, has long been used as a natural insulator or stuffing. During the Second World War, it even served as a substitute for kapok in life jackets due to its high buoyancy.

Today, milkweed is valued above all for its essential role in the survival of the monarch butterfly, of which it is the only host plant, making it a key species in pollinator habitat restoration projects.