White Poke Milkweed
Asclepias exaltata
The milkweed that thrives in shade. Fragrant white and pale lavender clusters draw monarchs and swallowtails to woodland edges.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The single best milkweed for shade gardens. lets gardeners with limited sun provide genuine monarch habitat where almost no other milkweed will grow.
Poke milkweed is the milkweed of the woods, the only native Asclepias that genuinely thrives in shade and forest edges rather than open sun. The nodding white and pale lavender flower clusters carry a noticeable fragrance on warm summer days and attract monarchs, swallowtails, and native bees even in dappled light. For gardeners with mostly shaded yards who want to support monarchs, this is the plant that makes it possible. The large, broad leaves and upright stems give it a bold presence in a shade border or woodland edge planting. It naturalizes slowly by seed in suitable conditions without becoming aggressive.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown white poke milkweed propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- Early summer
- Bloom color
- White, Lavender
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America (Appalachians and piedmont)
Care notes for white poke milkweed.
Part shade to full shade in moist, well-drained soil with good organic matter. The only milkweed that thrives in shade. do not plant in full sun. Consistent moisture preferred. Allow to self-seed to establish a colony over time. Late to emerge in spring; mark the location. No serious pests in appropriate conditions.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside white poke milkweed.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.