perennial
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Asclepias tuberosa is a slow-growing perennial for gardens in zones 3–9. Expect 1.5–2.5 ft of height and 1.5–2 ft of spread; our lists space it 1.5 ft apart. It does best in full sun with little water once established. Expect orange flowers in June to August. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, the Midwest, the Great Plains, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Asclepias tuberosa
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Sandy or rocky, well-drained soil; deep taproot.
- Mature size
- 1.5–2.5 ft tall × 1.5–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug · orange
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, low water, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. ASPCA lists milkweeds as toxic (cardiac glycosides).
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Florida/Gulf, Midwest, Great Plains, South-Central and Desert Southwest
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$18 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer until roots establish, then only during long dry spells.
- Pruning
- Emerges late in spring; cut down in late winter.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 6 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- Cottage garden plants for a sunny bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Butterfly weed, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'shrub · zones 2–7
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation'Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'ornamental grass · zones 3–9
- Blue false indigoBaptisia australisperennial · zones 3–9
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillarisornamental grass · zones 6–11
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Butterfly weed: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants