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One of the best habitat plants you can grow! Native to most of the continental US and parts of Canada – it’s a fantastic food/host plant for a plethora of butterflies (including Monarchs!), bees, hummers and innumerable other creatures. Reaches about 2’ tall, spreading over time to form an attractive clump of dark green foliage. Blooming Spring thru Summer, its 2-5” flower clusters range in color from brilliant yellow-orange to a sumptuous red-orange, but are mostly a hot-lava orange. An exceptional plant for the low-water, low-maintenance garden needing little more than good drainage to be happy. Slow to establish – it may take a few years before you get your first blooms, but it’s all gravy from there! Exceptionally drought tolerant and deer resistant. Winter deciduous – cut to the ground once dormant.
USE OF BT UPDATE & GROWING NOTES:
We are pleased to announce that the California Department of Agriculture has recently lifted its requirement that our nursery use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), as a naturally occurring biological insecticide (also commonly used on organically grown fruits and vegetables), as control against LBAM (Light Brown Apple Moth) within the State of California. As a result we are no longer using BT in our nursery. Bt was known to be toxic to caterpillars, particularly the Monarch butterfly caterpillar, which is why we had always advised our customers to wait a growing season (or approximately one year) before introducing Monarch caterpillars to any Asclepia (Milkweed) plants. Waiting a season also helps ensure the plants are large enough and have enough foliage to provide sufficient food and the BT has had time to wear off.
