Re: butterfly bush

Oh Auralie, your garden sounds lovely, conventional or not. I doubt most
people would call mine that either. I leave things ratty for the birds and
butterflies, leave a good bit of underbrush in the back for the bunnies and
birds in the winter, and generally just kind of do my own thing. Some
people might want to call the plant police on me.............

I've always wondered about the "common" milkweed. I've never actually seen
it that I know of. We grow the orange, red, yellow variety down here and
the Monarchs eat it just fine. I haven't had any in a few years as it is
truly an aphid magnet and makes me nuts. It is very pretty though. Yours
sounds great. I don't recall mine ever having a fragrance. Send a picture
to Donna sometime if you can please. I'd love to see what it looks like!
A

Andrea H
Beaufort, SC 


> [Original Message]
> From: <Aplfgcnys@aol.com>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Date: 6/13/2005 6:40:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] butterfly bush
>
> The milkweed that is specific for monarch is "common" milkweed, 
> Asclepias syriaca, which has very pale lavendar or pinkish flowers.
> I think they may eat some others, as I have seen them on my cultivated
> Asclepias, too.  The "swamp" milkweed is, according to the Audubon
> Society Field Guide,  Asclepias incarnata, a deep pink flower.  I am
> not familiar with it, but doubt it is the one specific for monarchs, for
the
> guide says it contains less of the milky sap that gives monarchs their
> protective nasty taste to predators. I have a bed of the "common" 
> ones in the narrow strip between the drive and the boulder.  People
> say "you have to get rid of those weeds," but I encourage them.  Not
> only for the monarchs, but because I like them.  I think the flowers are
> lovely, I love their fragrance, and if I am lucky enough to get pods, I
> love them, too, for dried flower arrangements and various crafts.
> When the plants begin to get ratty late in the summer I just cut them
> down unless they have bods - most don't.
> But then I guess you all know by now that my garden is not your 
> conventional flower-bed.
> Auralie
>
> In a message dated 06/13/2005 5:41:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> tchessie@comcast.net writes:
> Do monachs use any of the other asclepias?   Exactly which one it "swamp 
> milkweed"?
>
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