Butterfly Weed, Pleisy Root

Pleurisy root (another name for butterfly weed) produces those iconic orange flowers plus a deep taproot historically used in herbal medicine. The showy blooms attract monarchs and other butterflies while thriving in poor, dry soil where other plants struggle.

Butterfly Weed: Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is the essential, brilliant orange showstopper and the sole larval host plant for monarch butterflies, making it a critical cornerstone for any wildlife or pollinator garden. This native perennial boasts fiery orange blooms all summer, attracts numerous other butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, and features a compact 1-3 foot habit, unlike common milkweed. Exceptionally drought-tolerant and preferring leaner soil, it requires minimal maintenance once established and will not spread aggressively.

• Growing Tips: Transplant young plants carefully 12-18 inches apart in spring after the last frost; this species develops a deep taproot and dislikes disturbance, but thrives for decades when properly sited. Avoid future relocation.

• Sun Requirements: Full sun is essential, requiring a minimum of 6-8 hours for optimal flowering and reliable blooming.

• Preferred Soil: Well-drained, lean to average soil is best (pH 5.5-7.0); it is highly drought-tolerant once established and intolerant of wet conditions or heavy clay.

• Harvest Details: Non-edible; deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming, or allow seed pods to mature naturally in fall for seed collection or self-sowing. Flowers bloom June through August.