{"product_id":"common-milkweed","title":"Common Milkweed","description":"\u003cp\u003eHelp protect monarch butterflies with this native plant!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith beautiful pink and purple flowers, this perennial milkweed is from southern Canada and much of the United States from the east coast to the Rocky Mountains. 3-4' tall, and 1-2' wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonarch butterflies from northeastern North America fly thousands of miles south to overwinter in sacred firs on mountains 62 miles northwest of Mexico City, in sanctuaries protected by the Mexican government. In the spring, they will then fly to Texas to a milkweed patch to lay eggs, and four or five generations later, they will make it to the northeast again, to another milkweed patch. The caterpillars only eat milkweed. It serves them well! They use the toxic steroids (called cardenolides) of milkweed plants to taste horrible to predators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuburban development has diminished this once ever-present plant. Please plant milkweed if you don't already - you'll help this endangered indigenous American butterfly continue to make its annual trip by creating a landing place - a sanctuary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso called: common milkweed, butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallow-wort, and Virginia silkweed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFlower photo by Jason Hollinger (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Asclepias_syriaca#\/media\/File:Common_Milkweed_(1035856056).jpg\"\u003eCreative Commons\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePod photo by H. Zell (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\"\u003eCC\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeeds per pack:\u003c\/strong\u003e 50\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermination rate: \u003c\/strong\u003e38% (total viability: 90%) on 08\/13\/2025 \u003cem\u003e(\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.sbs\/pages\/faq\/#seedviability\" title=\"What is the difference between germination rate and total viability?\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread more about viability\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting \/ harvesting notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen you receive your milkweed seeds, they'll need at least a month of cold treatment (known as cold stratification). Consider direct sowing in the fall or winter onto prepared ground. Alternatively, sow them about 1\/8th inch deep into moist potting soil and keep them in a cold, dark place for 4-6 weeks. Another option is to place the seeds in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag in your refrigerator for 4-6 weeks. After one of these cold treatments, seeds should be placed in warm soil (70 degrees), and they should germinate in a week or two. Without stratification, germination will be very low. The seeds of plant have adapted to require winterization for proper germination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed keeping notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWait for the seed pods (follicles) to fully dry out and start to burst open before gathering seeds. If you wait too long, the seeds will take flight on their silks on the wind! Continue drying seeds completely in a dark, ventilated place so that they do not rot in storage. Consider storing your fully dry milkweed seeds in labeled paper bags in the refrigerator, or immediately replanting in your garden or field for growth the following year.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Meadowhawk Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":21524454703184,"sku":"FLO-009","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2406\/3467\/products\/Common_Milkweed.jpg?v=1571609439","url":"https:\/\/trueloveseeds.sbs\/products\/common-milkweed","provider":"Truelove Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}