Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Flame-orange July flowers that butterflies find from a distance and land on immediately. Compact, drought-tough, and nearly indestructible.
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 most vivid orange in the native palette and the butterfly magnet for midsummer. irreplaceable in any pollinator garden.
Butterfly Weed is not subtle. The clusters of bright, flame-orange flowers in July are among the most vivid colors in the native plant palette, and monarchs, swallowtails, and fritillaries find them from a distance and land on them immediately. Watch a patch of Butterfly Weed in July and you'll count more butterfly species in an hour than most people see in a summer. It's that kind of plant. Unlike most milkweeds, Butterfly Weed stays compact, tolerates dry rocky soil, and doesn't spread aggressively. It grows from a deep taproot, so it's slow to emerge in spring and resents transplanting, but once established it's nearly indestructible. The seed pods split to release silky-plumed seeds in fall, and the architectural quality of the dried pods makes them worthwhile cutting material. One of our most-requested plants, year after year.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown butterfly weed 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
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 1.5–3 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- Midsummer
- Bloom color
- Orange
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Native range
- Eastern, central, and southwestern United States; throughout most of the lower 48 states
Care notes for butterfly weed.
Plant in full sun in well-drained to dry, sandy or rocky soil. Do not transplant once established. the taproot makes this extremely difficult. Slow to emerge in spring (sometimes late May). mark the location to avoid digging it up accidentally. Does not tolerate wet or heavy clay soil. No fertilizer needed. Cut back in late fall.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside butterfly weed.
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’.