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I've also had no luck trying to grow this plant, either from seed or from cuttings, and I really want to grow it as it is a native larval food for Monarchs.
I, too, have had poor germination from Asclepias seed, and a steady drop in performance from what I planted out. I put it in a special 'eastern woodlands' bed with goldenseal, lobelia, mayapple, and other medicinal plants and herbs that I understand grow together in nature (in shady, humous rich soil) but the Butterfly Weed never flowered and over two years is dying out. Can anyone tell me where and how they are successfully growing it?
Also tried germinating from seeds without success.
Freshness seems to be the key with germinating seeds from plants in the Asclepiadaceae familiy. Dischidia seeds for example had a 100% germination rate in the first 5 days, about 50% at 14 days and about 10% 4 weeks after seed pod opened.
I hope I'll eventually find a local supplier for Asclep plants.
Is this the same thing as what we call Milkweed? The milkweed that I grew last summer had orange and yellow flowers on it and it bloomed all summer long and in the fall it was host to the Monarch catapillar and butterflies. I found small plants that came up from the seeds in the fall that I transplanted and took into the greenhouse, but was told that they'll come up this spring by the thousands so if they do they'll be offered on Dave's garden...just watch for them in Plant tradeing as Milkweed
That's what we call milkweed or butterfly weed too, in Houston. Maybe it takes some sort of stratification?? because in my backyard, they reseeded and went all over my yard many years in a row. The seedlings were all over the place.
Also, this plant is a favorite of aphids-- I lose most of them every year to aphids, right after they lose all their leaves to monarch caterpillars. :) I can try to get seeds or seedlings for you all this summer.
We have a milkweed that is more pinkish, while the butterfly weed is orange but of course, they are in the same family. It is pretty rainy here and I don't recall aphid problems here... I think Wayside Gardens sells the plants. They have a really deep taproot and are hard to dig up and transplant so I'm sure the seedlings would be quite small...
