GIANT Milkweed

Welcome back! I hope the new year is off to a good start for you!

I would like to introduce you to Giant Milkweed (Calotropsis gigantea). I was not familiar with Giant Milkweed until I came across it at my local farmer's market. Boy, was I excited! I imagined Giant Monarchs (milkweed are host plants for monarchs) coming to visit this plant. I immediately purchased a couple and planted them in our garden.

Giant Milkweed on the left

Giant Milkweed is also known as bowstring hemp, crown flower, lechoso, and swallow wort. It is native to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and India  and thus prefers zones 10a-11. It can grow up to 6 feet in Florida with leathery pale green leaves and white-lavender flowers. Giant Milkweed will produce fruit (similar to a large pod) that contains seeds in white fibers. As with most Milkweeds, it prefers full sun and drier soil. You can trim it back to encourage a bushier plant. Beware: its sap is poisonous!

Local friends: there is a lovely specimen on Park Avenue in Winter Park

Happy Holidays!

Photo by Jurvetson on Flickr

Hello Friends! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best in the New Year! Thank you for joining me at Milkweed Gardens and here's to more butterflies in 2011! Cheers!

Where are the butterflies?

Photo by London looks on Flickr

Cold weather has arrived in Central Florida. For our northern friends, that means highs in the upper 60's-low 70's and lows in the 30's -40's. Sadly, I have not seen many butterflies flying about. Butterflies are cold-blooded so they head for warmer temperatures in places such as Mexico, Central and South America in the winter. They can not fly when it is too cold and prefer temperatures between 82°-100° F.  In the butterfly garden, my milkweed was affected by the freezing temperatures and has died back. No worries though - in my previous experience, they seem to always come back in warmer weather.


Despite the lack of butterflies, I so enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We are getting ready to have our family and friends over for Christmas Eve dinner. Hope you and your loved ones are enjoying this holiday season!

"Butterfly Gardening for Beginners" on Central Florida Gardening

Remember this posting? Here it is!

Central Florida Gardening - Butterfly Gardening

If the video above doesn't work for some reason, you can watch it here online. It will also be shown locally all this month on "Central Florida Gardening" which airs on Orange TV (Brighthouse Channel 199, Comcast Channel 9, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99) or Vision TV (Brighthouse Channel 198, Comcast Channel 98, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99). You can check Orange TV's schedule here and Vision TV's schedule here.

It is a little nerve wracking watching yourself on tv, especially when they only wanted to do one "take." But I hope you learned a little bit more about butterfly gardening and are inspired to plant your own butterfly garden!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tiger Swallowtail on Coneflower by Audreyjm529 on Flickr

For flowers that bloom about our feet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For the song of bird and hum of bee,

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,

Father, we thank Thee.

For pleasant shade of branches high,

Father, we thank Thee.

For fragrant air and cooling breeze,

For beauty of the blooming trees,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,

Father, we thank Thee.

For rest and shelter of the night,

Father, we thank Thee

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Good Morning!

I am using my new coffee mug this morning...

Cute, huh?

WInter Park Harvest Festival

I am so excited about the first Winter Park Harvest Festival! It is this Saturday, November 20th at Central Park's West Meadow. It is described as "one part feast, one part farmer's market, and one part gardening seminar" (Orlando Home & Leisure, November 2010) - can it get any better? I will be working with other Orange County Master Gardeners in the Gardening Demonstration tent during the day and attending the Farm to Table dinner in the evening. Hope you'll check out this momentous event!