Local Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata var. pulchra
Swamp milkweed from locally sourced seed: faster establishment, bloom timed to local monarch migration, fragrant pink midsummer clusters.
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
Locally-sourced swamp milkweed -- the monarchs know the difference, and so do we.
This is swamp milkweed grown from locally sourced seed -- the ecotype that evolved in our specific regional conditions, not collected from a distant population. That difference matters. Local ecotypes establish faster, bloom at the right time to match local monarch migration windows, and integrate with the local food web in ways that non-local plants can't fully replicate. The pink to rose-red flower clusters open in midsummer and carry a faint, sweet fragrance on warm days. As a monarch host plant, swamp milkweed is non-negotiable in any butterfly garden. Monarch caterpillars will strip the leaves and still come back for more. The fragrant pink blooms draw every milkweed-specialized bee in the neighborhood simultaneously. Plant this one near a window you look out of often -- the show will not disappoint.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown local swamp 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.
Plant local swamp milkweed instead of Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) which can disrupt monarch migration when grown in the South. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- July–August
- Bloom color
- Pink
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America; var. pulchra is the locally-sourced ecotype from the mid-Atlantic and Southeastern coastal plain and piedmont
Care notes for local swamp milkweed.
Full to part sun in moist to wet soil. One of the best milkweeds for rain gardens and periodically wet areas. Allow seed pods to mature and split -- silky-tailed seeds disperse by wind and self-sow lightly. Cut back in early spring. No supplemental water needed in moist sites.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside local swamp 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’.