Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Butterfly Weed bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called butterfly weed, orange milkweed, pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa).

More about butterfly weed

About Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa · also called butterfly weed, orange milkweed · flowering

A tough North American native milkweed crowned with flat clusters of brilliant orange flowers that draw butterflies and bees. Unusually for a milkweed, it has clear (not milky) sap and a deep taproot, making it drought-tolerant once established. As an Asclepias, it is toxic to cats, dogs and horses if eaten.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphids (oleander aphids): Bright yellow-orange aphids cluster on stems and buds. Hose them off or tolerate them, since they rarely kill an established plant and feed beneficial insects.

The reasons butterfly weed isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming butterfly weed traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding butterfly weed a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get butterfly weed to flower

Maximise sun. Give butterfly weed the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for butterfly weed and get the feeding right with the butterfly weed fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Butterfly Weed flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full butterfly weed care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Butterfly Weed blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my butterfly weed flower?

Butterfly Weed blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make butterfly weed bloom?

Give butterfly weed the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does butterfly weed normally bloom?