I am trying all the Milkweed species I can find! :-)

I'm going to grow all the Wild Black Cherry I can for my moths.
For butterflies, I have many Butterfly Bushes and a bunch of others which they love. I also have Milkweed, but honestly, I'm not doing as much butterfly rearing as past years, moths have always been more in quantity and a favorite for me... theres also not the greatest population of Butterflies here. oh, and Parsley for Black Swallowtails. Basically only 3-4 species that are "common", some which aren't even very oftenly seen...
S.B.

I planted some Wild Black Cherry last year but they all died. I plan on trying again. Same for Staghorn Sumac.

New to my yard will be Sweetgum. Neighbor's tree I use was really messed up by windstorms last year so I want to get something going in my yard.

Totally new will be:
Sassafras albidum
Ruta graveolens

KC

I am adding cosmos, some milkweed, dill and parsley. I would like to maybe try some rue if I can find some.

Hi Danny!! How many milkweeds are you up to now??

Rue is easy to grow from seed. Check for seed on the internet. I've included a site that sells them for one dollar.

Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Rue seeds

I'd definitely do your research before planting a Sweetgum tree. You'll be raking up those balls for the test of your life. They are beautiful trees, but most people don't like the thousands of balls that liter the ground.

I'm actually one of the few properties on my street that doesn't have a sweetgum tree. My next door neighbor's sweetgum had two low branches that hung in my yard. They were my 2 in the morning emergency supply leaves. New people bought the house and thought they were doing me a favor when they cut the branches off :( Anyway, their tree still drops the balls in my yard but all the branches are too high up to do me any good. The balls they drop don't cause me much grief because my lawn tractor just sucks them up.

I love sweetgum because:
1) IMO, the leaves smell good which helps my house's rearing room

2) all the big moths I usually raise eat it, except polyphemus

3) cut branches placed in water last longer than any other tree branches I've ever used

4) they seem to grow like weeds. I'd take loads of leaves off the tree across the street but there were always more.

5) they are popular with the wild caterpillars around here

KC

I like cherries, apricot, and jujubes they are nice for this year.. I love fruit bearing plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: landscapers utah

Somehow when I was researching what I wanted to do, I totally missed that ruta graveolens is not native to the US. I'm trying to stick to stuff native to Ohio. So, I ordered a ptelea trifoliata tree instead. I have a crab apple that has been dying for a few years so the hoptree should make for a good replacement.

Hairy/twining tournefortia. This vine has the most unbelievable smell. We got one over the weekend at our favorite native plant nursery. The nursery is on this couple's property and it is awesome. This vine was in a 30-foot oak tree and it was covered with nectaring Zebra Longwings, Julias & Gulf Frits. Not that I have a 30-foot oak anywhere, but I've got just the place for it.

Popcorn cassia- The sulphurs love this. Smells like hot buttered popcorn.

Rangoon creeper- What can I say, I'm a glutton for vines. I can't wait to see this in bloom.

Things got hit hard here in the 2 cold snaps we had. Lost my favorite passionvine (Lady Margaret) and my Pride of Barbados looks like it needs to go back there for a vacation.

Beverly

Hi nanny56!

Now I have a bunch more milkweeds.
I have:

Arizona Milkweed
Pineneedle Milkweed
Indian Milkweed
Green Antelopehorn Milkweed
Spider Milkweed
Texas Milkweed
Zizotes Milkweed
Pineland Milkweed
Poke Milkweed
Sullivant's Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed
Ice Ballet Milkweed
Balloon Plant Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed
Gay Butterflies Milkweed
Purple Milkweed
Heartleaf Milkweed(I think)
Appolo Yellow Tropical Milkweed
Swan Milkweed
Narrow Leaf Milkweed
Caribbean Milkweed
Clasping Milkweed
All Tropical Milkweed cultivars
Few Flowered Milkweed
Red Ring Milkweed
and I think more. I do not have the seeds with me right now.

How are you?

Hi nanny56!

Now I have a bunch more milkweeds.
I have:

Arizona Milkweed
Pineneedle Milkweed
Indian Milkweed
Green Antelopehorn Milkweed
Spider Milkweed
Texas Milkweed
Zizotes Milkweed
Pineland Milkweed
Poke Milkweed
Sullivant's Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed
Ice Ballet Milkweed
Balloon Plant Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed
Gay Butterflies Milkweed
Purple Milkweed
Heartleaf Milkweed(I think)
Appolo Yellow Tropical Milkweed
Swan Milkweed
Narrow Leaf Milkweed
Caribbean Milkweed
Clasping Milkweed
All Tropical Milkweed cultivars
Few Flowered Milkweed
Red Ring Milkweed
and I think more. I do not have the seeds with me right now.

How are you?

I've got a new cultivar of Salvia greggii called 'Maraschino' - I'll be planting it soon, probably tomorrow. None of my previous S. greggiis have lived more than a few years, even though I planted them in raised beds where they got good drainage, but I'm trying again.
I've also got a new milkweed ordered - Asclepias exaltata. This one is supposed to be found in and on the edge of woods, so I've got just the place for it. I'm always looking for a milkweed that monarchs will use other than a. curassavica - I'd love to have a good perennial milkweed.
I've also order three new spicebushes, these being lindera subcoriacea, which is rare but native to my immediate area. They're presently growing in containers, and I'm pleased to see that they're about to bloom and make leaves, with no dead areas being on any of them. I'm always looking for alternate laurels in hopes of finding something else the palamedes swallowtails will use other than Persea borbonia, Persea palustris, and others in that genus, is it?
Did I get my nomenclature right, Larry? :)
Sherry

Something else I did today that's new - sowed carrot seed. Most of the good host plants for black swallowtails won't hold up in the heat of summer down here, and last year somebody (can't remember who) suggested I try carrots. If they don't thrive, I'll just plant something else in that area later on, and if they thrive I'll either have black swallowtail cats, carrots to eat, or maybe both! :)
Sherry

Have you tried Rue and Bronze Fennel for Black Swallowtails?
They both do well in the heat of St. Louis.

Yes, I've got plenty of rue, and the black swallowtails will sometimes lay eggs on it. I've occasionally switched them to rue from fennel or dill when there was only a little of it left. Bronze fennel does better here than dill, but it still dies back to almost nothing in mid-summer.
Giant swallowtails use my rue occasionally, too.
Sherry

Danny: Wow. (bows to the king of milkweed)

I put in some A. serpentaria over the fall, and I'm hoping to have a strong crop this year. I haven't made final decisions about the rest, but I like the Little Bluestem idea.

Jeff

I ended up going way beyond my original plans.

Got a 3' sweetgum but then a local nursery was selling 12' for $99 so that is going in tomorrow. It is the "Silhouette" variety. Supposed to have a small spread and produce very few balls.

Ordered 2 4' ptelea trifoliatas but got 4. Planted one here, one at my kids' school and two are in containers.

Other trees
(2) Prunus serotina
Sassafras albidum
(2) Salix nigra
Rhus typhina - as opposed to the Tiger Eye variety I already have

Host plants
Zizia aureas - black swallowtail
Ruellia humilis - buckeye
Ruellia caroliniensis - buckeye
dwarf snapdragons - buckeye
Asarum canadensis - pipevine swallowtail

Nectar plants
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Eupatorium coleestinum
Eupatorium fistulosum
Eupatorium maculatum
Liatris spicata
Phlox paniculata
Phlox maculata

The sassafras and Eupatorium maculatum I bought did squat. So, today I took them back and got them replaced.

While I was there, I asked what milkweed they carried. I now have Asclepias incarnata and Asclepias verticillata. None of the common milkweed seeds I planted came up so now these plants put me back in the milkweed game.

I've been very impressed with the Salix nigras. They are a couple caterpillar magnets.

Thought I'd do a followup on how things went last year for what I planted in 2009:

3' sweetgum - still in pot because I have loads of volunteers - supposed to go plant at my kid's elementary tomorrow

12' Silhouette Sweetgum - doing fine - raised cecropia and HHD on it

Four 4' ptelea trifoliatas - one died, one not doing well in pot, one doing fine at kid's school and one doing GREAT at my house because I had GSTs on it last year - YEA!

Other trees
(2) Prunus serotina - one died last year, other is trying to live despite deer attacks

Sassafras albidum - died in 2009

(2) Salix nigra - not doing great in their pots but I got viceroys last year so I'm happy!

Rhus typhina - deer will not let it grow :(

Host plants
Zizia aureas - raised a bunch of BSTs on it last year

Ruellia humilis and Ruellia caroliniensis - grew fine last year but did not attract buckeyes

dwarf snapdragons - attracted my first buckeye cats ever - very pleased

Asarum canadensis - mail order ones died - ones from local nursery still living but not spreading - no pipevine cats

Nectar plants
Cephalanthus occidentalis - raised a couple HHDs on it last year

Eupatorium coleestinum, Eupatorium fistulosum, and Eupatorium maculatum - all growing like weeds - wish I had put farther back in my garden since they get so tall

Liatris spicata - tried to live last year but Eupatoriums blocked its sun and it appeared to die off early. I don't expect it back this year.

Phlox paniculata and Phlox maculata - both attracted butterflies which is what I got them for