Purple Milkweed

Our Experience

Purple Milkweed can be fickle about where it will establish. It may take a bit of trial and error to plant it where it will be happy. It may not flower the first year, and it may take until its second year to set seeds.

We describe Purple Milkweed as having characteristics similar to Common and Swamp Milkweeds. The leaves are like Common, but slightly smaller. The flowers are a deeper pink than Swamp and the flower mound is more rounded, but not a full circle like Common. The height is much shorter than either Common or Swamp.

The flowers may have a subtle fragrance like Common, but we have not noticed.

An important consideration is do female Monarchs prefer to lay eggs on this milkweed species? The answer is they will lay eggs on it, but it is not their first choice in our habitat to lay eggs on. In our habitat their preference in order is Common, Tropical, Hairy Balls, Swamp, Purple, and Butterfly weed. Your habitat may have a different experience.