Milkweed Seeds in Jar

Common milkweed seeds have been gathered and bottled just for you!   

            Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)and any of our perennial types such as Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) benefit from a cold moist stratification period for better germination. This can be accomplished by fall sowing into flats or in situ un the garden and allowing winter to happen. The seeds should germinate come spring. You can do the stratification artificially in the fridge too. Some people even clip the point off the seed with nail clippers to improve germination. The trouble is, it has a tough seed coat that can be hard for the germinating seedling to penetrate. The winter and water with freezing and thawing is the natural way to help break it down. Lets get growing and attracting those monarch butterflies!