Butterfly Gardens to Go 2020 Plants List is now available. Orders will begin to ship in early May*.
Butterflies are valuable contributors to our environment, yet each year more than two million acres of habitat are being lost, resulting in diminished butterfly populations.
The Butterfly Gardens to Go collection was developed by Michigan Native Butterfly Farm. We specialize in plants for butterfly gardens and Monarch Waystations. Our diverse product line was designed to help create habitat which promotes the life cycle of butterflies ensuring that future generations will prosper. Each plant has been carefully chosen to support the most common North American butterflies through each stage of development.
Our collection includes an excellent selection of native Milkweed plants for a variety of growing conditions and native habitat throughout the United States.
The nectar sources we have selected are proven butterfly favorites in our own gardens and the flight houses where we rear our butterflies.
We are pleased to offer a collection of ‘Petite Perennials’ that are perfect for small garden spaces or gardens that are already established and just need a touch of color or a fun new plant!
We can all make a difference by planting butterfly gardens with host and nectar plants and help support the diminishing populations of indigenous butterflies.
Best Selling Products
Asclepias purpurascens – Purple Milkweed
DISTRIBUTION
USA: AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV
Asclepias purpurascens – Purple Milkweed is a Michigan native milkweed and is native to most of the eastern United States though it is uncommon to rare in cultivated gardens. Similar to Ascelpeias syriaca (Common Milkweed) it is an excellent garden choice due to its non-invasive nature. It has a long bloom season and the fragrant, intense rosy pink flowers attract numerous insects and butterflies. Purple Milkweed is very tolerant of a wide variety of soils and light levels making it easy to grow. It will tolerate shade, but blooms better in the sun. It commonly occurs in dry to moist open woods, dry ridge tops, thickets, glades, prairie openings, stream banks and wet meadows.
All of our plants are grown without the use of harmful pesticides and are safe for developing larvae.
Grown in 4.5″ square pot.
Available mid-late June 2017
Asclepias syriaca – Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed is the plant most people think of when they hear the word ‘milkweed’. This Michigan native occurs throughout most of the United States and thrives in almost any well drained soil and produces a profusion of fragrant mauve colored flowers in midsummer. The sweet scented flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and beneficial insects. Of all the milkweeds this is the easiest and fastest to establish, yet it is known to be invasive and must be used with care. This milkweed grows best in full sun and average to well-drained soil with no irrigation and will tolerate extreme conditions.
Available May 2017
Asclepias incarnata – Cinderella Milkweed
‘Cinderella’ is a cultivar of native Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) featuring pale pink, vanilla scented flower clusters. This milkweed occurs throughout most of the United States. It is a tall plant found in moist habitats such as wet meadows, floodplains, riverbanks, pond shores, stream banks, wet woods, swamps, and marshes, although it will also grow in drier areas such as prairies, fields, and roadsides. Swamp milkweed needs full sun or partial shade to flourish. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees as a nectar source. Swamp milkweed is also an important food source for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies.The plants are deer resistant and heat tolerant.
Asclepias incarnata – Ice Ballet Milkweed
‘Ice Ballet’ is an elegant, long-blooming, bright white cultivar of native Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) and features a compact habit and dark green foliage. Swamp milkweed occurs throughout most of the United States. It is a tall plant found in moist habitats such as wet meadows, floodplains, riverbanks, pond shores, stream banks, wet woods, swamps, and marshes, although it will also grow in drier areas such as prairies, fields, and roadsides. Asclepias incarnata needs full sun or partial shade to flourish. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees as a nectar source. Swamp milkweed is also an important food source for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies. The plants are deer resistant and heat tolerant.
Available – May 2017
Featured Products
Asclepias viridis – Spider Milkweed
Spider Milkweed is also commonly known as Green Antelopehorn Milkweed. In Texas, it is quite common and is considered an important food source for the Monarchs as they start their spring migration northward. Spider Milkweed has a native range of Texas north to Nebraska and eastward as far as West Virginia and South Carolina. It can be found along roadsides, ditches, prairies, open areas, and other areas with little vegetative competition. This species tends to be short (12 inches) with multiple stems emerging from the root crown of mature plants. Taller, more erect plants, usually with one or a few stems, can be found in moist prairies. Spider Milkweed features rose-white flowers surrounded by green that form in showy umbellated clusters, often one per plant.
Available – May 2017
Aristolochia serpentaria – Virginia Snakeroot
Virginia Snakeroot is one of several species of vines known as “pipevines.” This species grows up to 18 inches tall and has thin, heart-shaped leaves. The stems of the plant tend to zig-zag.
Aristolochia serpentaria is a host plant to the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. It has a wide distribution throughout the United States and is a good shade ground cover for native gardens.
Grown in 4.5″ square pots.
All of our plants are grown without harmful pesticides.
Shipping begins Mid-May.