Save the Monarch butterfly! 50 RARE NATIVE Woodson Milkweed seeds

Description: RARE NATIVE WOODSON SWAMP MILKWEED SEEDS For sale I am offering 50 native Woodson Swamp Milkweed seeds, ready to grow for your butterfly garden. Organic seeds, no sprays or pesticides of any kind. Safe for use to feed Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Woodson makes a great replacement for non-native Tropical Milkweed. Woodson Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata ssp pulchra, is a subspecies of swamp milkweed that has lovely bright green leaves and soft pink flowers. As you can see from my photo, the leaves are larger and softer than the species and are a favorite of Monarchs for that reason. It's been my experience, having both the species and Woodson, that Monarchs hands-down prefer the Woodson. These seeds will grow thin-stemmed plants over a foot tall this year. By their second year, the plants will have thicker stems and flower as shown, and will be a Monarch butterfly magnet in your garden. To my knowledge I am the only seller of this species of Milkweed, anywhere. Woodson is well-behaved in the garden. It does not have the long tap root that Common Milkweed has, and does not spread by runners. Wildflowers with long tap roots are usually drought-resistant. Not having that root, you should treat Woodson as you would any other purchased garden plant and make sure to water it. Full-grown height is around 3 feet. Adaptable to many different garden conditions, Woodson is tolerant of many different soils. In the heat of summer, it does appreciate afternoon shade, especially on the root area. So I recommend planting it on the east/southeast side of your house, or any area that gets afternoon shade. Use it as the basis of your wildflower, cottage or rain garden. Add it to a meadow. Be sure to plant some where you can see them from your kitchen window, because when Woodson begins its exceptionally long bloom time, it attracts all the pollinators in the area, and especially the Monarch butterfly, which will use it as a host plant to lay eggs. There are a couple of different ways you can grow this seed. If you live in an area that gets cold winters, you can sow outside in the fall for spring growth. Barely scratch up the top inch of soil with a garden tine. Spread the seeds out and rub them into the soil, pat down firmly. My favorite method, and the one I've had the best luck with, is growing them indoors against a winter-cold windowsill. I usually do this in January or February. All you need is some bagged soil mix, a small tub that you get mushrooms in at the store, and a quart-sized zipper bag. Poke holes in each bottom corner of the tub, add the soil and press it in place. Stir the seeds into the soil top inch. Water it gently but thoroughly and leave it in the sink to drain. Then slide the tub into the plastic bag. It's a snug fit, but just work the corners in and slide it in. Zip the bag closed. Do not poke any holes in the bag. That's it! You're ready to grow! If you don't have a cold windowsill, you can put the tub outside for the winter, on the east side of your house. Not all the seeds will sprout at once. When some sprout, I usually wait about 2 days, then I use a chop stick to gently loosen the soil around the sprouts and lift them out for replanting into a growing flat. You could also replant them in a pot. They can go outside immediately, in a shaded area at first, then move them into the sun. There are more seeds getting ready to sprout in the tub, so take your stick and stir up the soil. If you see any seeds that are sprouting, move them to top of the soil and arrange them with the root pointing down. Replace the tub into the plastic bag, zip it up, and wait until you have enough sprouts to repeat the transplanting procedure. Keep doing this until you have no more sprouts. I'm happy to help if you have any questions, just message me here on Ebay. Germinating in an area that doesn't get winter can be very tricky. I recommend doing the mushroom tub, and then sticking that in the fridge for a month. Then move the tub to an east windowsill. I encourage anyone to message me with their best results. I want to be able to help as many people as I can. Depending on your growing conditions and climate, Woodson may only be an annual for you. I cannot guarantee that it will come back next year. Please be aware that I ship these seeds in a small padded envelope, using regular US postage stamps. There will be NO tracking number on this. If you have any issues with delivery, please message me here on Ebay and I will take care of you. If I were to add a shipping method that had tracking, it would be over $5 just to ship. So if you want that method, you'll need to message me so that I can add that to your order. Woodson Swamp Milkweed is native to the entire Eastern seaboard, and also Texas, Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vermont. All photos are my own and may not be used without my permission.

Price: 5 USD

Location: Middletown, Delaware

End Time: 2024-11-28T02:50:45.000Z

Shipping Cost: 1 USD