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Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Also comes in yellow and red.
Butterfly Weed blooms from June through August.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Butterfly Weed
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Butterfly Weed
Plant Butterfly Weed in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Good to know about Butterfly Weed
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses: all parts carry cardiac glycosides (cardenolides), and the sap can irritate skin on contact. per ASPCA and NC State
Worth knowing
One deep, woody taproot explains its quirks: it stores deep moisture (great drought tolerance), resents being moved, is slow to establish, and emerges late each spring. per NC State
A clump, not a runner
Unlike common milkweed, which runs by rhizomes, butterfly weed stays a tidy, upright clump from its single taproot. The well-mannered milkweed for a border. per NC State and Wisconsin
Monarch host and nectar source
Monarch caterpillars eat the leaves, and the flowers pour out nectar for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. A high-value pollinator plant on both counts. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Oleander aphids, its signature pest
Bright yellow oleander aphids cluster on stems and buds. Hose them off and let lady beetles and lacewings handle the rest; don't spray, it kills monarch caterpillars. per Colorado State and NC State
Deer leave it alone
Deer leave it alone, put off by the bitter, toxic milkweed foliage. Rabbits, though, may still nibble at it. per NC State and Wisconsin
What pairs well with Butterfly Weed
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Goldenrod
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Aster
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 4.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Fountain Grass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Pampas Grass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 8.2 ft, for the layer behind it.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
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