Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' (Swamp Milkweed)

'Cinderella' is an attractive, showy cultivar of Asclepias incarnata, also known as swamp milkweed, which is well-regarded as a native, upright, perennial wildflower that is also an integral food source for the larval stages of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Though the parent species is already excellent for any number of garden types, Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' magnifies the ornamental beauty of swamp milkweed, with darker purple and pink flowers with an even more intense vanilla-floral fragrance. Just like the parent species, 'Cinderella' is an excellent choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, but its toxic milky sap (hence the name milkweed) also makes it resistant to deer and rabbit damage. After this cultivar's showy pink-purple flowers begin to fade in late summer, milkweed's unique and attractive seed pods make it a sight to behold in the fall and winter too, and leaves will feed monarch caterpillars throughout the full length of the growing season.

As a cultivar of traditional swamp milkweed, 'Cinderella' thrives in fertile, wetter soil conditions, and does best in full sun. While swamp milkweeds in general can be a bit large for traditional garden types at 2-4' tall and 1-3' wide, it is highly versatile in terms of soil types, which makes it a great addition to rain gardens and riverbank plantings, but also to wildflower meadows and naturalized borders, where it can feed monarchs and a variety of other butterflies and pollinators. With its obvious value to butterflies, and its less obvious value to hummingbirds and bees, Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' is an excellent ornamental and ecological choice for home landscapes and for larger restoration projects.