All the Dirt on Gardening

Balloon Milkweed plants The balloon milkweed seeds I planted last winter in the garden shed have yielded large plants that will feed lots of monarch butterfly caterpillars this fall. Asclepias physocarpa was so easy to start from seed that we were able to donate a flat of plants to Muskogee's butterfly house , Papilion. The seeds are available to purchase but ours were given to us by our gardening friend, Jerry Gustafson. Balloon Milkweed flower clusters The flowers are unique in that they hang in little clusters from those large-leafed plants, making a dainty show when compared with how rough the leaves are. Sometimes the plant is called Gomphrocarpus physocarpus. It is native to South Africa so in the US it is perennial only as cold as zone 8 or 9. Definitely an annual here in Zone 7. Kathy Coburn the director of Papilion said that they get volunteer plants in the spring from the previous year's seed fall. Collect your seed balls in the fall to plant them l...

Monarch butterflies are endangered due to applications of round up and similar products, the clearing of land in Oklahoma and extensive tree removal in Mexico. Family Jewels pod We are all being asked to help by planting milkweed. Any variety will do as long as it is planted in swaths large enough to feed caterpillars. The plants don't have to bloom as long as you have water/mud and other nectar providing flowers available for the adults to eat and drink. Balloon Milkweed inside the pod In our yard-garden I've seen the adults nectaring on many different flowers but they do seem to love the weedy, native flowering plants more than the tidy ones. Of all this plant's names, I think I like Family Jewels the best since in addition to the appearance of the pods (ahem), I imagine that the plants will be jewels in our garden, feeding lots and lots of caterpillars this summer. Swan plant seeds We usually plant tropical milkweed, Asclepias Tuberosa, as it's t...