I know it is only January 27th but another way to look at it is.... it's almost February! Which mean spring here in the NE Atlanta area is just 45 days away!
It will be nice to get back into the backyard and start the new garden. This year I will be focusing expanding the milkweed plot. Just in case you didn't know milkweed is one of the only plants that monarch butterflies eat. They are inexpensive plants and the one we sell here at our store is native to Georgia. It is actually named "Butterfly Milkweed" or officially as "Asclepias tuberosa."
Butterfly milkweed needs full sun with good drainage. This particular milkweed version only gets to be about 1.5 ft. tall. It will bloom in the first year with a very nice yellow/orange flower. The bloom is late spring through the summer. The plant is a perennial so it should come back year after year. It may also spread in your backyard to additional areas.
One word of warning, the sap of all milkweeds, including butterfly milkweed are an irritant to your skin so wear gloves.
I mentioned that they are fairly inexpensive plants to purchase. At our Wild Bird Center we sell Butterfly Milkweed seedlings for $1.99, Quart sized for $3.99, and when available gallon sized plants for $6.99.
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Butterfly Milkweed for the Monarch Butterflies
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David Peterson is the owner of the Best Nest of Georgia, Inc. which includes in its corporate family a retail store called the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek Georgia. The Wild Bird Center focuses on bringing nature to your backyard using bird seed, bird feeders, mealworms, and bird houses to attract wild birds to your yard. You can reach the Wild Bird Center at 770-418-1990 or by contacting David via email: david@thebestnest.net
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