Asclepias tuberosa, 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year, If you are looking for a beautiful, useful, and easy-to-grow plant that does not require much care, butterfly weed is a great option.

A virtually hassle-free, very long lived perennial, offering three months of tangerine orange blooms (occasionally red or yellow) from early through late summer. Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly weed, is a species of milkweed native to eastern and southwestern North America. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that grows 1-3 feet tall. The leaves are lance-shaped and arranged alternately on the stem. The flowers are bright orange to yellow-orange and are clustered together in a flat-topped head. The flowers are pollinated by bees and wasps. The fruit is a spindle-shaped capsule that contains numerous silky-tailed seeds.

Butterfly weed is a popular garden plant because of its attractive flowers and its value as a host plant for butterflies. The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, Monarch butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Deadheading the flowers will stimulate another bloom cycle about a month after the first one.

The flowers of butterfly weed are a valuable source of nectar for butterflies. They are especially attractive to monarch butterflies, which use the plant as a host plant for their caterpillars. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of butterfly weed and store the toxins from the plant in their bodies. This makes the caterpillars poisonous to predators, which helps them to survive.

Here are some of the other common names for Asclepias tuberosa:

Canada root, Chiggerflower, Fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, Orange milkweed, Orange root, Orange Swallow-wort, Pleurisy root, Silky swallow-wort, Tuber root, Yellow milkweed, White-root, Windroot

Butterfly weed is also a medicinal plant. The roots of the plant have been used to treat lung inflammations, such as pleurisy. The roots contain a compound called asclepin, which has anti-inflammatory properties.

Landscape Uses

Butterfly weed is a hardy plant that is easy to grow. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant and does not require much fertilizer.

Asclepias tuberosa is a prairie plant native to North America from S. Ontario and New York, west to N. Dakota, southwest to Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, and south to Florida (zones 3-9). Found naturally in dry fields and on slopes, it does not require rich soil or much moisture. A full day of sun is best along with a slightly acidic, sandy-humus-loam that is well-drained (especially in winter).

Once established, Butterfly Weed is drought-tolerant and requires little care. Though it is perfectly cold-hardy in the north, mulching plants in winter will help prevent frost-heaving. In spring, trim back last year's growth and await the beautiful new foliage which will appear quite a bit later than other perennials.

Planting

Space them 1-2 feet apart.

Once butterfly weed is established, it is very low-maintenance. Water it regularly during the first growing season, but it will need less water once it is established. Fertilize it once a year in the spring with a balanced fertilizer.

Butterfly weed is generally pest- and disease-free. However, it may be susceptible to aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects. If you see any pests, you can treat them with insecticidal soap or neem oil.

Propagation

Division, though seldomly needed, is difficult because of the plant's long tap root. To propagate by division: In the fall, dig up a mature plant and divide it into several smaller clumps. Replant the clumps in the garden.

If you are looking for a beautiful, useful, and easy-to-grow plant, butterfly weed is a great option.