💜💜 2 PURPLE Milkweeds❣️🌿🌿🧐

Which PURPLE Milkweed do we use to Raise Monarchs?

March 20, 2025

Happy Spring RAISErs,

and welcome back to Milkweed Madness 🪴🪴🪴🪴

As the first monarchs arrive back in the southern US, it's prime time to start planning (or planting!) your new milkweed for the upcoming season…

Milkweed Madness: Purple Edition 💜💜

Today illustrates a prime example of why it’s so important to buy milkweed plants/seeds by their botanical (scientific) name.

Many of you have probably heard of purple milkweed, but less are aware there are two different types that have little in common and thrive in polar opposite growing conditions. Here's info on both varieties to see which grows best for your region:

Eastern Monarchs

Asclepias purpurascens ⬅️(eastern purple milkweed- some say this milkweed boasts the most beautiful bloom color of any milkweed variety...do you agree?)

We grow A. purpurascens in our Minnesota garden and it continues to be a reliable native plant for attracting monarchs to our butterfly garden. It takes a bit longer to establish itself compared to the explosive growing common milkweed, but I promise, it’s well worth the wait!

Once established, I’ve found this variety to be a top choice for egg laying in our northern garden, and its slightly thinner stem cuttings (compared to common) work well in our milkweed floral tubes and racks ⬅️

Western Monarchs

Asclepias cordifolia ⬅️ (western purple milkweed- a drought tolerant variety that grows well in rocky soil.)

We actually tried planting this in Minnesota, and shockingly…it survived its first Minnesota winter 😱 But, that early spring, I decided it would be happier in our south garden, where it immediately proceeded to die 🥲

I have never seen even a photo of an egg/caterpillar on this plant so my guess would be it’s not a prime host plant for monarchs. If you have any first-hand experience using this species to raise butterflies, please reply to this email so I can share this info with the community.

Coming Up Next

Starting milkweed SEEDS for raising monarchs? 🤔


Blue Skies and Butterflies,

Tony your Butterfly Guide