It depends on the kind of milkweed you purchased. The typical orange-flowered kind, Asclepias tuberosa, is a late starter and won't start growing until the weather's been warm for a while. It likes full sun and well-drained soil. It will die back and go dormant in the middle of summer unless you water it. Mine stayed green and bloomed on/off all last summer because it was right next to a soaker hose.

Another popular kind is Tropical Milkweed, asclepias curassavica, which is an annual in DFW, and is very forgiving of soil and water. It reseeds like crazy. I saw tons of seedling yesterday when I pulled back my mulch. I pot up this variety to feed my monarch caterpillars indoors.

You may get Monarch eggs this spring. The monarchs will lay their eggs on shoots that will be big enough to support the larva when it hatches. In the summer, keep the milkweed watered so it doesn't go dormant, and in late September/early October you will see the Monarchs coming through!

I can tell you that trying to raise Monarch caterpillars outdoors can be heartbreaking. There are so many predators of the caterpillars, even though they are supposed to be "poisonous." I read that only a small percentage of eggs ever make it to adulthood. I have taken to covering any of the plants with caterpillars with a very fine mesh to keep the wasps away. I actually harvest the tiny caterpillars and bring them indoors. If you visit monarchwatch.org or just google "raising monarchs" you will see the ways people try to increase the chances of the caterpillars making it to adulthood.

Thanks for supporting Monarchs. Due in part to the development of pesticide-resistant food crops in the 1990's, Monarch populations have plummeted and they need our help. Any milkweed you can plant will be much appreciated!

Hi Bedford, thanks for the information! I'm getting the asclepias curassavica plants. I'm aiming for a butterfly friendly garden, already have Lantanas and Turks Cap, and just planted two small Vitex trees. Really looking forward to doing this!

All those sound like good choices. You can search this forum for other nectar plant ideas. In my garden the butterflies also like Autumn Sage (spring and fall) and Pincushion Flower, butterfly blue (spring.) They really love sunflowers, but so do the squirrels. After a few days, the squirrels chew off the heads of the sunflowers and carry them away.

Remember that Tropical milkweed likes hot weather - I'd definitely wait until the end of March to put it in the ground unless you are willing to cover it up during cold weather.

Don't forget other butterflies. If you plant fennel, dill, and parsley you will attract swallowtail butterflies in the spring/early summer. Their caterpillars need to be protected from wasps, too.

OGrose.. you should also consider Gregg's Blue Mist.

You'll have a constant supply of butterflies with that one.

If you don't have it and want it I will be glad to get you going with it. I'll be dividing my big clump this spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gregg's Blue Mistflower

Bedford, the planting time should work out fine; my plants are on backorder, they said it will be at least a month before shipping. When you say you use a fine mesh for protection, are you talking about netting? I do have some autumn sage and a small Black and Blue, and plan on getting more.

Melvalina, I would love to have a cutting of Blue Mistflower; as you know, I have a huge bed to be planted!:) As of right now I have some old garden roses planted that I got as bands, Desert Marigolds coming up, a few grasses, vitex, forsythia, etc. It will probably fill up faster than I think! Oh, and just a few weeds, right. Need to get the part mulched that doesn't have the wildflowers.

Plant some passion flowers--native incarnata (maypops) are best, but caerulea and Incense work great, too. Just avoid the red types. You'll have tons of Gulf Fritilaries in no time!

Keep in mind that Maypop spreads. I mean, I love it, but if you don't want it to spread, keep it in a pot or make a bed that has something to prevent it spreading to other areas. It puts out undergaround runners, so could only be contained by enclosing the bed underground. And thanks for thinking of the butterflies! Last year was awful for them in Texas. Extreme drought, wildfires, continued loss of habitat, etc. So very few could survive in Texas.

Wow, that's a great idea; think I will get a Passionflower and plant it in a huge pot; I think it is so pretty, but wasn't too excited about it being invasive. If I have it potted, will it need to come in the shed for winter?

Thanks!

I planted two different types last fall. They are dormant now. Should I cut them back? Will they come back from the roots?