Prairie or Sullivant’s Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) is value contemplating as a backyard various to Frequent Milkweed (A. syriaca). A key distinction is that Prairie Milkweed is far much less aggressive, in actual fact in my backyard it has been pretty sluggish to ascertain.
One other distinction is that the person flowers of Prairie Milkweed are bigger, and I just like the pink/purple-white two tone impact. The flowers on Frequent Milkweed, although, are extra quite a few and have a stronger perfume. The leaves of Prairie Milkweed are hairless.
Prairie Milkweed likes moist-to-medium fertile soil and full solar. In my backyard it’s rising a bit underneath 4′, shorter than Frequent Milkweed, however I’ve learn that it tends to develop 2-3′ within the wild. It stands upright, doesn’t want staking, and is extra tolerant of dryer soils than Rose or Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata).
Along with being a number plant for Monarch Butterflies, Prairie Milkweed attracts many pollinators and is a precious plant for native bees. Even so, in keeping with the Illinois Wildflower web site, the flowers don’t fertilize simply. And in reality it doesn’t have any seed pods in my backyard this yr, however it’s reblooming with none chopping again.
Illinois Wildflowers says Prairie Milkweed is “unusual to occasional” in most Illinois counties, however not current in others. It’s listed as a threatened species in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. I’ve by no means seen it on the market at a backyard middle, however the on-line nurseries Prairie Moon and Prairie Nursery each carry it.
If you need one thing with a glance much like Frequent Milkweed however with out the aggression, Prairie Milkweed is value contemplating.
