How To Enjoy A Beautiful Butterfly Weed Garden Without It Taking Over

When it comes to butterflies in the garden, one can never have too many. But when it comes to butterfly weed? Well, you might eventually need to rein it in a bit. These low-maintenance blooms are aptly named: they will bring more pollinators into your garden, including plenty of butterflies, but also spread easily like a weed. Removing the seed pods before they open is key to stopping these beautiful blooms from overrunning your garden.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), also known as chigger weed or pleurisy root, is a variety of milkweed native to many regions of the United States. Hardy in zones 3 through 9, this perennial grows about 3 feet tall, and has dense clusters of orange flowers that bloom from mid to late summer through early fall. One of its main benefits for gardeners, aside from its beauty, is that its nectar draws a wide range of butterflies and bees. It is also a host plant for monarch butterflies, meaning they lay their eggs on the butterfly weed, and the plant's leaves provide food for the caterpillars. Despite its amazing qualities, butterfly weed is one of those stunning flowers you'll regret growing unless you practice proper upkeep.

While there are many benefits to growing butterfly weed and other types of milkweed, if left alone, butterfly weed can pose a threat to your garden after a few seasons by crowding out other plants. Perhaps your local pollinators won't mind a garden full of nothing but butterfly weed, but if you feel differently, preventing the seeds from spreading is key.

Butterfly weed is self-seeding. Flowers that are pollinated will develop seed pods at the base of the flower toward the end of the summer or early fall. The pods are about 3-6 inches long and grayish green in color. They eventually split open, releasing the silky seeds to drift through the air and onto the ground to germinate the following year.

To stop butterfly weed from taking over, carefully cut off the seed pods while they are still closed. Alternatively, you can tie the seed pods closed to prevent them from popping open. Either dispose of the seeds, use them to plant more butterfly weed by hand where you want it, or gift them to friends.