Native / Warm season

Swamp Milkweed

Moist pollinator beds and monarch-support plantings.

Grown for habitat, not food use.

Seed spacing and maturity

Days to maturity
365
Germination temperature
55-75F
Seed depth
0.25 inches
Spacing
24 inches
Row spacing
30 inches
Start method
Direct sow

Frost-date timing

Direct sow
14 days before last frost
Fall planting
10 weeks before first frost

Action plan

Can I plant this now?
Use your local last-frost, first-frost, and soil-temperature checks before treating this crop as plantable today.
Start indoors or direct sow?
Direct sow into the final bed when the soil temperature, seed depth, and moisture are ready.
How much space?
24 inches in-row spacing, 30 inches between rows, and 0.25 inch seed depth.
Best companions?
Use this as part of a diverse flowering or herb planting, and treat companion claims as site-specific rather than guaranteed pest control.
Common failure modes?
Dry sandy beds are a poor fit unless irrigated. Moderate to high moisture; tolerates damp sites. Moist soil, rain gardens, and pond-edge plantings.

Growing profile

Sun
Full sun to part shade
Water
Moderate to high moisture; tolerates damp sites.
Soil
Moist soil, rain gardens, and pond-edge plantings.
Watch
Dry sandy beds are a poor fit unless irrigated.
  • native
  • monarch-host
  • rain-garden
  • pollinators

Browse context

Related varieties

Source: Penn State planting for pollinators