new growth

[chanceychelsey]

I checked my garden again last night and found a sprout of milkweed up 2 inches. Things are progressing a lot quicker this spring than last. Hopefully there will be monarchs here within the next couple of weeks.

Waystation 927
Tottenham, Ontario

[Mona Miller]

My swamp milkweed is up 1 1/2 feet. The common is only about 3 inches. I have seedlings that a friend gave me of tropical, swamp, and common. I hope to get them planted soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and waiting for my first sighting. Last year, they laid eggs at a local park at the end of April.

[lvtgrdn]

What zones are you 2 in? I am in Nebraska, zone 5b. I'm guessing Virginia is warmer than here. Ontario must be, too.

The 2 swamp milkweed plants I've had for about 4 or 5 years did not do as well last year as in the past, and haven't come up yet. I have a feeling they aren't going to. The drainage in my soil isn't the best. The orange and Hello Yellow butterfly milkweeds only live a couple seasons at a time.

I had some common milkweed come up last year, and am tickled that some of it is now up about 3 or 4 inches. Some is still just breaking ground.

I was able to find more swamp milkweed at a garden center. When I went to a plant sale at our university's arboretum yesterday, I was tickled to find several more kinds to plant. I was told to make a mound to plant them so that they won't sit in soil that is too wet.

[Mona Miller]

I'm zone 6b to 7a. Our winters can get down to 10 degrees, but usually are in the upper 20's or 30's.

Use compost in your soil to break up the clay. Or, if it is far enough away from your house use some hardwood mulch to mulch around the plants. The hardwood will break down and enrich the soil.

[drexel.n@gmail]

Yesterday evening I finally saw my butterfly weed poking one little bud up out of the ground! I had about given up hope, but here it comes! Funny how happy that tiny little bit of green made me. My swamp weed has buds on it, the showy is about 1 1/2 feet tall, the tropical is doing fine but very slowly, the common has doubled and is also about 1 1/2 feet high, and the joe pye weed is well over 2 feet tall! Hopefully I will get some annual nectar plants in the ground soon. The nights have been a tad cool yet. I haven't seen any monarchs yet, but I'm so close to being ready!

[Mona Miller]

My tropical and swamp milkweed seedlings were not happy with the temps that went down to 37 last night. I hope warmer nights come soon.

[RozieMozie]

i've got common milkweed that i planted from wild seeds coming up in two parts of my garden, one spot in the back yard has thick stems and the leaves are not yet open to the sun, the other spot in the front yard the mw is smaller but the leaves are open ... im excited to have mw in both places, least year i got 3 eggs from the mw in my back yard ... im getting excited about the approaching season

[Mona Miller]

I think the Monarchs must have skipped us this year. Last year, they came in late April. I may have to wait until June to see them. I have plenty of milkweed: common, butterfly weed, swamp, tropical, so far.

[NickiM]

I built a raised flower bed with lots of sand and gravel mixed in the soil so that I could grow milkweeds and other plants that require good drainage. Also, High Country Gardens sells an orange flowered milkweed that grows well in clay soil. It's been my biggest "grocery store" this year.

[Mona Miller]

Usually, they don't use the orange butterfly weed, but some years they prefer it. I try to offer a choice for them. I've got butterfly weed, tropical, swamp, and common, plus blue sand vine.