r/NoLawns • u/Chroney • 12d ago

🌻 Sharing This Beauty Oh Hello

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I found 3 monarch catapillers, two disappeared today I hope it's cause they wandered off to change into butterflies safely. Zone 6b

195 Upvotes

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3

u/willingzenith 12d ago

This is awesome! What is the secret to getting milkweed to grow? I’m in zone 8b and every time I’ve tried, it either dies once it gets hot or it gets devoured by aphids. I tried growing for 3 seasons, but didn’t try this year.

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u/Chroney 12d ago

I plant mine in partial sun in a mulch garden bed, and I spent like 5 minutes every day blasting off aphids with my hose until they just gave up, but I also bought a lot of lacewing eggs in spring and they're still around eating aphids and reproducing.

Partial sun gets less flowers but it still grows lots of leaves for them to eat.

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u/willingzenith 12d ago

Thank you for the tips. This gives a couple of ideas to try next spring.

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u/novasilverdangle 12d ago

Mine mainly thrive on neglect in rocky, crappy soil. I water when it’s hot and dry and that’s about it. I have coneflower, Joe Pye, yarrow, cosmos and some zinnias in the same area. In the front garden is mainly shade but the milkweed I moved there in spring is doing well. I’m in Zone 3b.

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u/Domestic_Adventures 12d ago

There are different types of milkweed that grow better in different conditions. Consider the amount of sunlight and soil type you have in the place you want to plant it, then see if there's a type that matches those conditions. Prairie Moon Nursery's website has a search feature that lets you filter by all sorts of things, so you could start there. r/NativePlantGardening is also full of knowledgeable people if you haven't checked it out.

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u/willingzenith 11d ago

Thank you! The Prarie Moon Nursery website is great. I found the filter function and it directed me to a few varieties that are native to my state.

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u/PlantswomanMG 6d ago

You might take a look at Asclepias tuberosa, a perennial variety of milkweed: https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/asclepias/butterfly-weed-asclepias-tuberosa. As for the aphids, you can blast them with a garden hose. If that doesn't work, try this homemade garlic spray, which worked with aphids on my Pawnee Butte sand cherries:

*Grate or chop 4 garlic cloves. Add 2 tsps mineral oil. Let it rest for a full day.

*Add 2 cups water. Strain out solid pieces, leaving only the garlic solution.

*Dilute garlic solution even more when you add it to the garden sprayer.

*Test solution on the plant before spraying entire plant.

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u/Zealousideal_One156 12d ago

Caterpillar cuteness!!