Silky Deep Red Tropical Milkweed Seed Packet

"Silky Deep Red Tropical milkweed is a cultivar breed to have vibrant red and yellow flowers that really pop! Young leaves have interesting reddish tinged to them that makes the entire plant very attractive. It is frost sensitive but does flower quickly from seed making it a great summer annual. For areas that don’t get frost Deep Red Tropical milkweed will flower year round." — Bobby Gendron

The Facts:

• Latin name: Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Deep Red'
• Quantity of seeds per packet: 20
• Monarch butterfly host plant
• Attractive red and yellow flowers
• Bred for its distinct flower color
• Frost sensitive perennial
• 24" - 36" tall
• Blooms from May until first frost
• Cold hardy in USDA zones 10 - 11
• Summer annual in USDA zones 3 - 9

Growing Instructions: Start Tropical Milkweed seeds outdoors in the spring after the danger of nighttime freezing has past. Pick a location with full sun and prepare soil for good drainage, if needed. Plant seeds 1/8" deep and 18” apart, using 3 seeds per hole. Keep the soil evenly moist until the seeds germinate in 10 - 20 days. Once the seedlings reach 1", thin out so you have individual plants spaced 18” apart. Water regularly allowing the soil to go nearly dry between each watering. Fertilize monthly in the summer with a general purpose fertilizer. To get a head start, seeds can be planted indoors in the late winter. Transplant outdoors after the danger of nighttime freezing has past.