butterfliis_mom I got your helpful link about germinating specific seeds, thank you!!!!

Happy to announce that my first monarch showed up in the yard today (nectaring on purple dead-nettle). If only my milkweed were up already! It is a really late spring here in c. Mississippi. Our only native blooms so far are spring beauty, violets, Carolina jessamine, wild plums, black cherry, redbuds, and the dogwoods just started blooming this weekend.

Thought I'd share a pic of my new baby. I have 5 cats in my garden at present. It's really early and I'm so glad I have some leaves for them to eat.

Dee, what a beautiful photo of that 'pillar! Thanks so much for sharing. I hope your photo is an inspiration to all our milkweed newbies who will plant their milkweed seeds for our monarchs :)

Hello everyone! I would like to be a milkweed newbie, zone 5 mid-michigan. I just moved into a house with access to a small pond so if possible I'd really like something that won't mind wet roots in the summer and freezing in the winter.... though I have no idea what kind of conditions milkweed even likes.

Thank you so much, everyone!
~Laura

I would love to be a milkweed newbie! I have several flower gardens that I could plant and grow milkweed in. Thank you for considering me!

Not sure about the other big box stores but Home Depot has a buy 1 get 1 free on seed packages - butterfly weed (A. tuberosa) being among them. :)

Hi Katie
The seeds you sent me came yesterday and I am amazed at how many you included! It's like Christmas all over again. . ..

Thank you so much. I am loving this new adventure and the butterflies will surely appreciate your generosity, too.

~Susie

Hi Susie! So glad to hear the seeds made it safely and that you are excited to get started planting them :)

Welcome newbies lilangel181 and llbiss! I have added you both to the list and now waiting for you to be adopted.

lilangel181, Asclepias incarnata would be a perfect species for you!

My Asclepias viridis is the first of my milkweeds to show its first leaves. Finally, the milkweeds are poking their heads up.

Katie

Does anyone have photos of milkweeds germinating?

Do you mean a photo of an actual seed with its first root, laid out on a damp paper towel? Or just seedlings at first emergence, above ground only? If the latter, I can take photos tomorrow.

Seedlings breaking through the soil and thereafter.

I bought a few plants several years ago at Lewis Ginter's volunteer tent, but I didn't know anything about seed saving back then. My plants overwintered the first year, but not the second.

I haven't seen the plants around here lately in any of my travels, so I'd love some seeds to help our butterfly friends.

If I get some, I'll be sure to save the pods for next year!

Here is an update

Caw_in_zn5. Seeds are in the mail.

I never heard from the following after I emailed them twice.
Dominicktgeplantlover
Country-gardener
Ajsmana

Pmb2005 is complete.

Detestingmonday has found seeds locally so Is complete..

So I am going to plant all my leftovers and I will try to help out more next fall. This is a great project. KCHD...Thank you so much for your time and energy!

oops

a few more updates

i tried to contact ndgrad95 several times and I did not hear from them.

Sunnybichon is complete. Seeds have been mailed and received.

I emailed kell97 from the email that you gave me and did not hear from her.

I am really trying to give away these seeds!

I just join Gardenweb and really would love some annual milk weeds seeds. if at all possible. But glad to get any you are offering. What a wonderful thing doing thus!
Ruth
Address:
Ruth Bruner
11411 Pleasant Drive
Valley Station,KY 40272

I would love to be adopted by someone from this area. I live close to Tupelo, MS. I know many of the milkweeds do better in the Southcentral area of the country, but I do have one or two wild ones on my place already. There are a few Joe Pye weeds in the low areas already as well. I live on an old farm with small sandy clay fields in between woodlots. I am doing everything I can to get as many different varieties of wildlife there as possible. Right now my priority is on the pollinators. Anyone willing to help please let me know.

This post was edited by jackofalltrades on Mon, Apr 14, 14 at 13:37

I just wanted to say thank you to the people who shared seeds with me. I have some asclepias growing and I'm excited. :)

Time for an update!

GW must be goofing up sending me thread updates because I haven't gotten posts emailed to me for days.... [grumble]

Anyhow, I will be incorporating everyone's updates and newbie requests into the list at the top (2nd post)

NKUSigEp, a photo as requested of my Asclepias syriaca sprouts

amoocow421, Welcome! If you would be so kind as to list your state, I will add you to the list :)

buturfliis_mom, thanks so much for the update, and for helping to adopt so many newbies. You rock!! See you next fall :)

kygrl, Welcome! I strongly suggest that you edit your post to remove your complete name and mailing address. Someone with milkweed seeds will adopt you via email to adopt you. You should also consider editing your profile so that your hardiness zone and state shows :)

jackofalltrades, welcome! You should fix your profile as well to show zone 7b, MS. I would be happy to adopt you. You're just a hop, skip & jump away from me. I will send you an email, but if you don't receive it, please email me. Sometimes GW is glitchy sending emails.

Nice to hear from you, desirai! Congrats on your sprouts!!

Katie

Thanks...I'm in Virginia!

amoocow421: Got it!

Thank you for adopting me Katie. Since we are not too far apart, I should have no trouble with getting the best varieties for this area. I look forward to getting them started and seeing some butterflies use them. In the twenty plus years I have had this place, I can not say with confidence that I have seen a monarch butterfly there. I have a lot of swallowtails and some others, but I can not remember Monarchs. Hopefully, some will find me if I get enough attractants planted for them.

I am would love to be adopted. I have not seen a Monarch in years. I have a decent yard with plenty of room to plant things. I would love to provide a stop for weary butterflies. I am thinking of planting a Butterfly bush and a few others.

Well, I think it is fair to say that Spring is upon us. By now we are all busy in our gardens. I am closing this adoption thread to new participants (adoptees) by the end of the day on April 30th. Hopefully we can get the last few remaining newbies adopted out by mid-May.

A big thank you goes out to all the participants, but especially to the wonderful volunteers who adopted newbies along the way.

I'd be happy to keep this thread going to help any milkweed newbies with seed sowing and milkweed growing adventures.

Hope to see many of you back next fall, say around October, to commence the 2nd annual Adopt-a-Milkweed-Newbie thread!

Katie

Hi, I have a large swamp in front of my house which might be good for some milkweed, looking for it to be able to grow in full sun, zone 8.

Id like to be adopted. I live in texas, zone 8. c:

Id like to be adopted. I live in texas, zone 8. c:

flip_ceballos, I have added you to the list.

jhopgood, you need to list your state before you get added to the list.

Signups for this adoption ends at midnight, tonight!

This post was edited by kchd on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 21:52

My name is Stephanie, I live in zone 10 (long beach, ca)

I may be the last, but I would love to sow milkweed seeds in my garden, im currently growing a food forest both that has a healthy ecosystem, I would also like to give my share to my schools beautiful garden that dedicated a space for butterflies, its called butterfly sanctuary, im sure they'd love to include this in their garden

Stefaniechamo, you got in at the last second, LOL!

This thread is now closed to any additional newbies.

I have found out that these are the natives for my state Asclepias cryptoceras spp. davisii (Davis’ milkweed)
Asclepias fascicularis (narrow-leaved milkweed)
Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed)

I'm a newbie, and would love to include milkweed in my yard. I live in Tennessee, zone 7a. I actually have a few acres and I'd like to plant a few patches. Adopt me!! :-))

Hello,
I wanted to let yall know that I have been adopted by xiangirl and sent off my SASE. Thank you very much!
~ Laura

Thanks to this list, I was adopted and received seeds from xiangirl yesterday. I promptly planted them. Hope they come up and I can start seeing some monarchs in my area. Kids loved the painted lady butterflies we did a couple years ago, so this will hopefully get them connected with a love for gardening.

I would love to get adopted! I live in Minnesota(zone 4) and love monarch butterflies! adopt me:)

Hi xiangirl!! I'm newbie Trent here, and would love to include milkweed in my gardens. I live in Tennessee, zone 7a. My 5 y/o niece and I spend a lot of time gardening in the summer. I think this would be a wonderful learning opportunity for both of us. I actually have a few acres and I'd like to plant a few patches. Adopt me please!! :-))

Holy cow! My apologies for not updating this list, but I have gotten ZERO emails letting me know that there has been any activity here.

With that being said, I will update the list ASAP and see who is left that needs to be adopted.

Katie

I would love to plant some milkweed here at my place in Tennessee Zone 7b if someone wishes to adopt me! Thanks!

FYI, recent posters -
This thread closed
on May 1st.

{{gwi:61291}}
Third year of milkweed I planted in our local park. It will bloom soon. Exciting to see it grow. I'm in zone 5.
Heidi

Heidi, your milkweed looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

I'm dying to be adopted. I'm a newbie here, but I have all the resources except the seed. I could probably go roadside, but would rather be certain with plant ID. Hehe. I'm eager and love bringing the butterflies and hummingbirds around to marvel at. Thank you!!

the seeds i received last year have sprouted (actually sprouted months ago, just haven't remembered to post). i direct sowed them into my seed bed, so there is also clover growing as well as some other unknowns that i'm allowing to grow and bloom - hopefully they are native as well.

Hey all, I just wanted to show pictures of my asclepias that I'm growing from seeds that you wonderful people donated to me!!!!! :)

{{gwi:61293}}

I'm brand new to gardening and would love to be adopted! ! Not sure how active this thread still is!! I love butterflies, haven't seen too many around my house. I am really looking for seeds only. Seems easier for me right now! Thanks! Happy Planting!

Saw my first monarch yesterday. Didn't get a picture of her but she was visiting everything but my swamp milkweed. I really hope there's lots more to come.

I'd love to be adopted! Just joined this site so I'm a little confused hope this message works

This is the most activity I had with my milkweeds. My poor little milkweeds got chewed down! That's that point isn't it? My 1st year plants haven't flowered and I guess that means I won't have seed pods either.

Katie - This is a great project and very helpful to newbies. Thank you for your efforts to help the monarch butterfly!