Asclepias viridis (Green Milkweed)

Asclepias viridis (Green Milkweed) is an upright perennial boasting interesting clusters, about the size of a baseball, packed with tiny flowers, each adorned with 5 upright pale green petals that cup upward twice as high as their 5 purple hoods. Blooming from late spring to midsummer, the flowers are borne on sturdy stems clad with long, narrow, pale green leaves, often folded lengthwise. They are a great source of nectar for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects. They give way to seed pods that contain seeds attached to fine silk. When the pod splits open, the silk catches the breeze and flies away, carrying the seed. A great choice for the flower garden and for natural settings. Milkweed plants are critical to monarch butterflies‘ survival, whose population in North America has plummeted by 90% in the last 20 years. By planting milkweed in your own garden, you can help reverse the fortune of these beautiful insects!

• Grows up to 18-30 in. tall (45-75 cm) and 12-24 in. wide (30-60 cm).
• Thrives in full sun in dry to medium well-drained soils. Drought tolerant.
• Low maintenance, this perennial plant is generally pest and disease free. Deer resistant.
• Perfect for sunny borders, cottage gardens, butterfly gardens, and prairies or naturalized areas.
• Propagate by seeds.
• Milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides, naturally occurring drugs that increase the force of heart contraction and have been used to treat heart conditions. The cardiac glycosides are potentially poisonous to humans. But they pose the most danger to grazing animals. However, it should be noted that not all milkweed species are equally toxic. Among the most toxic are Asclepias labriformis (Labriform Milkweed), Asclepias subverticillata (Western Whorled Milkweed), Asclepias eriocarpa (Woolypod Milkweed), and Asclepias fascicularis (Mexican Whorled Milkweed).
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.
• Native to Southeastern North America