There is the perfect milkweed plant for every location. Some species want to be in the sun, others seek partial shade or thrive in full shade. Spurge has won the hearts of hobby gardeners because many of the milkweed plants only reveal their splendor when most of the other plants have faded. Therefore, gardening enthusiasts can create a very individual plant architecture when putting together their selection without having to deal with high maintenance requirements. It is particularly important to note that the busy hobby gardener wears gloves when working, because the sap from which the milkweed owes its name can cause unpleasant irritation to the skin.
Table of Contents
maintenance
In order to create a clear structure with regard to the care instructions, they are primarily based on the preferred locations of the milkweed plants. At this point it should be mentioned that – apart from a few “specialists” – most plants of this genus can cope with almost any location.
Care of the sun worshiper
The most popular types of milkweed that prefer a sunny location, for example in the rock garden or in the gravel bed, include the milkweed with its bizarre silvery leaf rollers, the cypress milkweed or the steppe milkweed with its endless flowering period from July to October:
- fully sunny location
- neutral, permeable, dry soil
- only water a little
- no waterlogging
- Provide monthly with cactus fertilizer
- do not prune back in autumn
- hardy, but needs protection from the winter sun
These milkweed plants are also ideal for green roofs, on top of walls or in dry stone walls. If they are in their preferred location, they hardly need any maintenance.
Care of the milkweed varieties for partially shaded, damp locations
The swamp milkweed, native to Germany, is the perfect representative of the varieties that feel comfortable in partial shade and prefer a moist environment. Here the almond milkweed and the purpurea line up seamlessly:
- fresh, slightly moist soil
- water regularly
- no waterlogging
- normal garden soil
- supply with cactus fertilizer
- Protection from the winter sun required
The swamp milkweed gets along particularly well with water and can therefore also be found on the edge of the garden pond.
Care of the milkweed varieties for a shady location
Shady areas in the garden usually cause headaches for hobby gardeners, because an attractive plant rarely thrives here. How good that there is the milkweed family, because among them varieties have developed, such as the Balkan milkweed or the shadowy milkweed that also feel good under a tree, in the shade of a garden wall or a house wall:
- water regularly and abundantly
- give cactus fertilizer once a month
- Mix in compost or bark mulch into the soil
- Protect from the winter sun
- leave the leaves in the autumn
Even if shady locations are not exposed to sunlight, drought can be a problem here, especially in summer. Therefore, the easy-care milkweed plants do well here if they receive a regular dose of water. If you plan to plant the shady area under a tree that is deeply rooted, a 20 cm thick layer of potting soil should first be poured in before the milkweed family is planted.
Care of the houseplants among the milkweed family
The most famous house plants among the milkweed family include the poinsettia and the Christ thorn:
- bright and warm location
- lots of sunlight
- pH-neutral potting soil
- water thoroughly
- large water drainage holes
- no waterlogging
- only water if dry throughout
- do not spray with water
- Ventilate adequately in summer
- Cactus fertilizer every 14 days
At temperatures above 15 ° Celsius, the indoor plants can also be outdoors, for example on the terrace or balcony. If the temperatures drop, they cannot survive in the garden, even if they fall into a kind of hibernation during the cold season. Then they are brought into the house and ideally placed by a south-facing window. As succulent plants, they are treated in the same way as cacti.
To cut
The foliage of the milkweed remains through the winter, because it offers the plant additional protection from the cold and snow. The milkweed plants are only cut into shape in spring or before the new shoots, because otherwise the creeping varieties in particular could easily gain the upper hand in the garden. All varieties that are planted in the garden are well tolerated by pruning. The poisonous plant sap is less tolerable for human skin. It is therefore essential to wear good gardening gloves and, if possible, protective goggles during maintenance and cutting, because the smallest splash of milkweed can have painful consequences for the eyes. The outflow of the sap that occurs at the cut wounds is stopped with a cloth that is dipped in hot water beforehand.
Overwinter
Apart from the houseplants, most of the milkweed plants are at least partially hardy. To ensure that you get through the cold season well, gardening enthusiasts cover them with leaves or fir branches before the first frost. If they are uncovered again in good time in early spring, rot cannot occur. Wintergreen milkweed plants need protection from the winter sun. This measure is necessary because when exposed to sunlight they evaporate more moisture than they can take from the frozen ground, so that they dry up. For sufficient shade, a few fir fronds are sometimes enough, which are stuck into the ground or spread over the plants. The forward-looking hobby gardener already takes this fact into account when choosing the location,
The most popular milkweed plants in German gardens
In the rock garden, in pots and in the gravel bed, the following preferably thrive:
Cypress wolf milk
- copes well with drought
- needle-like foliage
- Growth height up to 40 cm
- grows very strong
- terminal yellow flowers May to June
- Plant spacing 30 cm
Clarice Howard
- red colored cypress wolf milk
- grows heavily
- needs regular pruning
Gold milkweed
- grows hemispherical
- Growth height up to 50 cm
- golden yellow bracts
- copper-colored autumn colors
- also fits in a normal bed
- hardy
Steppe Spurge
- bushy growth as a hemisphere
- green-yellow flowers
- gray-blue leaves
- Growth height up to 60 cm
- very dominant
Humpty Dumpty
- Flowering period April to June
- Growth height up to 50 cm
- becomes up to 100 cm wide
- needs light winter protection
Roller milkweed
- gray-blue leaves
- evergreen
- yellow flowers May to July
- particularly heat-tolerant
- powerful variety up to 100 cm in height
The following are ideal for beds, shrub discounts and the balcony box:
Griffith’s Wolfsmilch
- beautiful autumn bloomer
- sunny location
- Height of growth 40 cm to 70 cm
- widely ramified red-stemmed shoots
Golden tower
- green leaves with a red border
- grows upright
- golden-yellow flowers May to July
- Growth height up to 100 cm
- becomes up to 30 cm wide
- also develops in the shade
- also a popular bank plant
Sweet milkweed
- one of the most beautiful varieties
- buschige Wuchsform
- becomes 50 cm to 100 cm high
- pale brown flowers from May to July
- beautiful autumn foliage color
Purpurea
- inconspicuous flowers in May to June
- but wonderful red-brown leaves in autumn
- decorates the bed even in winter
- prefers the penumbra
- Growth height up to 50 cm
- also thrives under trees
The upright milkweed plants in particular are often cut for the vase, where they will decorate the home for many weeks. To prevent the sap from running out, it helps to briefly dip the interface in boiling water.
Diseases and pests
Spurge plants are often referred to as “snail fright” because these voracious pests avoid them consistently. On the other hand, some species are susceptible to powdery mildew, white flies and aphids.
Multiply
Most milkweed plants reproduce by self-sowing. If the enthusiastic hobby gardener would like to multiply them in a targeted manner, various methods are available:
Head cuttings
The milkweed species that can be used, such as the triangular milkweed, are cut off the head cuttings with a sharp knife in spring or summer. Don’t forget to wear gloves and protective goggles! The separated cuttings are left for a few days so that they can dry at the interfaces. Then they can easily be stuck into the loosened potting soil at the chosen location and lightly poured on.
Cuttings
The spurge spurs, which grow in a columnar manner, are propagated in summer with the help of cuttings. For this purpose, some side shoots are cut off with a knife and the interfaces are stuck in charcoal powder. Only when the wound is completely dry after a few days, the cuttings either go straight into the ground at the chosen location or the gardener places them in perlite or a permeable earth-sand mixture for rooting. Once the desired roots have formed there, the cuttings are planted in the garden or in a tub.
sowing
Propagation by sowing should always take place under controlled conditions. The experts advise against sowing directly in the bed because the seeds dry up quickly or are eaten by birds, snails and other animals. Most of the milkweed varieties cultivated in Germany are cold germs. This means that they can be sown very early in the year and kept at a maximum temperature of 5 ° to 10 ° Celsius until germination. Therefore, experienced hobby gardeners put the seeds in a plastic bag filled with moist sand or a special growing medium in the refrigerator; but never in the freezer or the freezer. During this time, it is important to ensure that the potting soil is kept slightly moist at all times. If the substrate dries out completely, germination is not possible. When the first leaflets show up, the seedlings can be pricked out, placed in nursery pots and taken outside, where they will develop over the next few weeks.
Division
To multiply by division, the root ball of the milkweed is carefully dug up and divided by hand or with a knife. Avoid unnecessary damage to the roots. In addition, it is important that the cuts are all rooted so that they will grow quickly in their new location. This method of propagation is particularly suitable for those types of milkweed that increasingly form runners.
Conclusion
In many gardens, milkweed is only planted when an unsightly gap is to be filled in a problematic location. Among the milkweed plants there are so magnificently growing species that with their blaze of color they offer a spectacular picture until well into autumn. There is no location condition for which there is no suitable milkweed variety; From the deep shade under a tree to the damp environment on the bank of the garden pond to the full sun in the rock garden, Mother Nature provides the perfect plant. Since milkweed plants are also easy to care for and mostly also winter hardy, it is not surprising that they were named Perennial of the Year in 2013.
