Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’

Golden yellow blooms all summer and with deadheading you can expect another round of blooms. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen attracting and nourishing hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. With the shocking decline in Monarch butterflies (over 90% in recent years) , planting milkweed can be a wonderful way to support them. Milkweed is the host plant for Monarch caterpillars… it’s their sole source of food and they cannot survive without it. Milkweed plants have the phytochemical cardenolide which caterpillars and butterflies use as a defense against predators.

‘Hello Yellow’ milkweed has a pleasing rounded form and it’s glowing flowers look good contrasted with white, purple or orange flowers. I love pairing it with a sterile butterfly bush like ‘Violet Cascade’ or nepetas.

Gather bouquets of flowers all summer long; the long stems are long-lasting and wonderful for cutting.

Tip: Sear the ends of the cut stems over a flame to stop the milky sap from leaking out.

Late in the season interesting alien looking green fruits develop which rupture to reveal seeds with long, silky, silvery-white hairs that look really cool in dried flower arrangements. Performs best in full- sun in well- drained soil with average moisture, but it’s fairly drought tolerant once established. Deer and rabbit resistant. Ht 2’ tall and wide Zone 3-9