Milkweed, schmilkweed

Yes, I said schmilkweed.

If you’re drowning in a sea of milkweed, or stumped on the selection of plants for your garden, or concerned about if you’re planting native or non-native plants, then this is going to be a good place for you to start. It can all get overwhelming because there are over a hundred varieties of milkweed out there, many of which have multiple or overlapping names. But fortunately for you, you’ll only need to keep track of a handful. And this is how you do it:

Go by the Latin name only.

I’m serious. I know there are very few Latin-speakers out there, and I’m certainly not one of them, but let me show you a little trick. I’m going to list out the milkweed plants that are considered native to my area:

Asclepias syriaca
Asclepias incarnata
Asclepias tuberosa
Asclepias verticillata
Asclepias exaltata

Are you seeing a trend? That’s right . . . in Latin, all true milkweed will begin with the word asclepias. There are so many nicknames out there, it’s impossible to keep them all straight. Here are some examples:

• Tropical Milkweed
• Mexican Milkweed
• Scarlet Milkweed
• Mexican Butterfly Weed

And guess what? Every single one of those is considered Asclepias curassavica, and here’s another fun fact: Asclepias curassavica is not even native to the continental United States! And, ready for another one? Asclepias syriaca is also called Butterfly Flower, and that is native in the United States.

Both images from Wikipedia

Until you get your feet wet, don’t even look at the nickname. Check out this great resource from Monarch Joint Venture. They have the country broken down by region, and a handful of milkweed varieties that are native to that area. If you need something a little more precise, here is another resource from BONAP that is very detailed.

>Tip: Try to avoid using your garden center for your information. I am not trying to sound snobby, but it’s just a fact that unless the person in your garden center is also raising monarchs, then it’s unreasonable to expect him or her to know the differences between the different milkweeds. I believe that they are giving us information in good faith, but just as we have trouble keeping the milkweed varieties straight, so do they. Please, do your own research. There are some gorgeous creatures that are depending on us!

One last thing: native vs. non-native plants.

Of course, it’s your choice on whether or not you actually plant native plants in your garden, and you are NOT a bad person if you choose to plant some Asclepias curassavica to help attract some monarchs. It works like a charm, so definitely go for it!! However, what you may not realize is it is very important to cut it back in winter. And why? It doesn’t die off in the southern part of the United States, and like a bad game of Dominoes, the chain reaction is that Monarchs have been cutting their migration short and getting “stuck” there with all the non-native milkweed. Then, when they don’t go all the way to their overwintering sites, it causes a cesspool of OE… Cutting back your Asclepias curassavica and keeping it cut back until spring will encourage butterflies to keep migrating, and it helps with OE because you’ll start fresh in the spring with new growth. Please, whatever you choose for your beautiful garden, do your due diligence for any non-native plant because it can have far-reaching effects on the ecosystem.