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The Ideal Time To Sow Milkweed Seeds For A Thriving Butterfly Garden
By ROSE OKEKE
Butterflies feed on milkweed's nectar, so growing it will increase butterfly activity in your garden. It's also the only plant that monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on.
The best time to plant milkweed seeds is mid-winter, as the cold helps them germinate and grow faster. They are also exposed to less wind and safe from predator milkweed beetles.
You can make mini greenhouses by filling plastic containers, like milk jugs, with damp dirt. Plant the seeds, then leave the jugs out until the seeds germinate in spring.
In warmer areas, you can simulate winter conditions by wrapping the seeds in a wet paper towel, sticking it in a Ziploc bag, and placing it into the refrigerator for about a month.
For a spring-blooming butterfly garden, you'll need to plant the common milkweed, the swamp milkweed, and the orange butterfly milkweed, as only these varieties can be winter-sown.