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Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)

Regular price $ 19.99
Regular price Sale price $ 19.99
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Monarch Butterflies are fully and exclusively dependent upon milkweeds for laying eggs and for larva food source and they can nectar. These plants were once so plentiful they were literally called weeds because they were problematic in agricultural fields. However, that's no longer the case with regular Glyphosate treatments to agricultural fields wiping out all "weeds". With fragmentation, global climate change, pollution, and other threats this is a major problem for Monarch butterflies that heavily depend upon the milkweed and other native plants. Monarch caterpillars need milkweeds, but also nectar sources that many native flowers provide. Help keep these going! Please consider your part in this planet, plant Monarch food sources including milkweed and other native plants. 

The best native milkweed for landscaping and arguably the single best native plant for landscaping, Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed) is quite a plant. Its compact growth habit and beautiful and rarer intensive orange colored flower are what make it the most popular plant plus the ability to host the monarch caterpillar. You really can‚¬„¢t go wrong aesthetically with this plant, but it can be a bit finicky to grow in moister and heavy clay soils. Choose you spot well and you will have a lifetime of orange bliss!! 

  • Sun Exposure Prairie/Savanna  
  • Soil Conditions Mesic-Dry
  • Height 2'-3'
  • Flower Color Orange
  • Flower Time June-August
  • Wetland Status UPL
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why Purchase From Natural Communities Native Plants?

    What Native Plants Should I Buy?

    What Can I Expect: Shipping/Free Local Pick Up?

    What Are Your Plant Sizes?  

    Why Plant Natives?

    Shipping & Care

    We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.

    As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.

     

    Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories

    • Retail - We only offer shipping & shipping is calculated at check out*
      • We do not offer retail pick up
    • Wholesale - Delivery is customized based on order size and location
    • Wholesale - Pickup is free

     

    Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready

    We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

    Wholesale Orders

    • Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.

     

    Retail & Website Orders

    • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
    • Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
    • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
    • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
    • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
    • Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
    • If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready.  In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments 
    • Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability.  We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish.  If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date.  If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
    • Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
    • Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.

    Where We Ship

     

     

          What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

          • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
          • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

           

             Shipments

            • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

             

             

            What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

            • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
            • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
            • Water your plants
            • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
            • If you cannot install your plants immediately
              • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
              • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
              • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
              • No additional fertilizer is needed
            How to install native plugs
            View full details

            Questions & Answers

            Have a Question?

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            • Do you use neonic pesticides on your milkweed plants?

              We do not use neonicotinoid pesticides on any plants, shrubs, trees, or seed. You know you are getting healthy plants for the planet when purchasing with us 😊

            Customer Reviews

            Based on 3 reviews
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            Deleted user
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            T
            T Fuller
            Great,plugs, plants and trees

            We ordered dropseed, rough blazing star, common milkweed, butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower, Bee balm, penstemon and an oak tree which all turned out very nice 🙂, Great products.

            N
            Nick
            Eye-catcher!

            EVERYONE comments on my butterfly milkweed! It took a couple years to really establish, but then it spread nicely and is a beautiful, long-lasting pop of orange in the garden.