Swamp milkweed, Asclepias perennis, is an herbaceous perennial primarily found in the coastal plain region of the Southeast United States from NC south to central Florida, west to eastern Texas and north to Illinois. It is quite adaptable to variety of soil conditions from moist to wet (including intermittent standing water) and can tolerate full sun as well as partial shade. It does like a good amount of organic matter, so be sure to add some compost if soils are too sandy.
Plants grow to a max height of 3 feet and about as wide, so they are quite compact. The adorable little white flowers start in May and continue through the summer. The flowers provide abundant nectar for various pollinators and other insects, but perhaps most important is the association with monarch, Danaus plexippus, butterflies. Like all Asclepias sp., swamp milkweed is a larval host for monarchs, but this species is particularly interesting because it doesn’t go dormant during the winter in coastal SC and it was recently discovered that monarchs were overwintering here using this species!
