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Height: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm) 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m) 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)
Spacing: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm) 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun Sun to Partial Shade
Danger: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color: White/Near White
Bloom Time: Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall
Foliage: Smooth-Textured
Other details: Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball From leaf cuttings From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
Seed Collecting: Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
I planted it from seed last fall, and now it is about 8 ft and growing. I am not sure if I should cut it back in the winter. It is growing above the roof!
This was my first year growing Oscar’s Milkweed or asclepias (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) here in Louisville, Kentucky. It did outstanding growing to better than six feet tall. I volunteer at a local nursery and was able to germinate the seed there in late March. and transplanted them in early May. There is a 120/130 days needed for maturity. being late Summer/Early Fall with flowering and pods. With high heat and dry weather it was drought-tolerant.
Seed saving can be a challenge; I didn’t want them to dry attached to the fluff so took the mature pods and separated the seed from the center of the pod and using my fingers rubbed the seed and they detached themselves into a container for drying. I found this method helpful to me rather than having the milkweed fluff escaping in the house of flying around my head.
On Sep 6, 2007, flamingonut from New Milford, NJ wrote:
A beautiful tall milkweed. Earlier on, it had quite a few tiny monarch cats on it, and I believe the high amount of wasps & predators did them in. I've seen conflicting hardiness info on this, ranging from Z7 thru Z10 and Z9 thru Z10. Regardless, it's a must have annual for us northerners. Hopefully I'll be able to harvest seed so I can grow more next year. It just started blooming in NJ, late August, originally wintersown.
This is a monarch magnet! I grew four other Asclepias in my garden this year, and this was the one that was consistently covered in cats all season long. The seed pods are a definite conversation starter! This plant gets a thick stalk and about 7 feet tall in Z7. The flowers are small, cream and pale lavender, and hang in clusters. I plan on adding several more to next year's garden. This is a must-have in a butterfly garden.
Regional...
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Calistoga, California Rancho Palos Verdes, California San Jose, California San Leandro, California (2 reports) Denver, Colorado Cordele, Georgia Louisville, Kentucky Hammond, Louisiana Dighton, Massachusetts Dearborn Heights, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota New Milford, New Jersey Elizabeth City, North Carolina Middletown, Ohio Tulsa, Oklahoma Portland, Oregon North Augusta, South Carolina Austin, Texas Richardson, Texas Hampton, Virginia
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