Milkweed in Florida
Florida holds a resident non-migratory monarch population in the south alongside migrants passing through the panhandle, and its native flora includes aquatic, pinewoods, largeflower and velvetleaf milkweed. Tropical milkweed is the state’s biggest monarch conservation problem, because it never dies back and OE parasite loads build to damaging levels.
The best milkweed to plant in Florida
Native to the state, garden-worthy and useful to monarchs. Start here if you are planting rather than identifying.
All milkweed species in Florida
| Species | Height | Flower | Bloom | Soil | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata |
3 ft–5 ft | pink, rose, white | June to September | Wet / Average | |
| Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa |
1 ft–3 ft | orange, yellow, red | May to September | Dry / Average | |
| Green Antelopehorn Asclepias viridis |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, purple | April to July | Dry / Average | |
| Aquatic Milkweed Asclepias perennis |
1 ft–3 ft | white, pink | May to September | Wet | |
| Pinewoods Milkweed Asclepias humistrata |
8 in–2 ft | pink, white | March to June | Dry | |
| Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | white, green | June to September | Dry / Average | |
| Clasping Milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis |
1.5 ft–3 ft | pink, green, mauve | May to July | Dry | |
| White Milkweed Asclepias variegata |
1.5 ft–3.5 ft | white | May to July | Dry / Average | |
| Fewflower Milkweed Asclepias lanceolata |
2 ft–5 ft | orange, red | May to August | Wet | |
| Green Comet Milkweed Asclepias viridiflora |
1 ft–3 ft | green | May to August | Dry | |
| Red Milkweed Asclepias rubra |
2 ft–4 ft | red, pink | June to July | Wet | |
| Feay’s Milkweed Asclepias feayi |
8 in–2 ft | white, pink | April to September | Dry | |
| Balloon Plant Gomphocarpus physocarpus |
3 ft–6 ft | white, cream | May to October | Average | |
| Tropical Milkweed Asclepias curassavica |
2 ft–4 ft | red, orange, yellow | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Average | |
| Velvetleaf Milkweed Asclepias tomentosa |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, cream | April to July | Dry | |
| Pineland Milkweed Asclepias obovata |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, yellow | June to August | Dry | |
| Carolina Milkweed Asclepias cinerea |
1 ft–2.5 ft | mauve, gray | May to August | Dry | |
| Curtiss’ Milkweed Asclepias curtissii |
1 ft–3 ft | white, green | April to September | Dry | |
| Giant Milkweed Calotropis procera |
6 ft–12 ft | white, purple | nearly year-round in frost-free areas | Dry | |
| Michaux’s Milkweed Asclepias michauxii |
8 in–1.7 ft | pink, green | April to July | Dry / Average | |
| Largeflower Milkweed Asclepias connivens |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, white | May to August | Wet / Average | |
| Longleaf Milkweed Asclepias longifolia |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, purple, white | April to July | Wet / Average | |
| Savannah Milkweed Asclepias pedicellata |
6 in–1.5 ft | yellow, green | April to September | Wet / Average | |
| Southern Milkweed Asclepias viridula |
1 ft–2.5 ft | green, white | May to August | Wet |
Rare or protected in part of this range: Curtiss’ Milkweed, Southern Milkweed. Do not collect seed or plants from wild populations of these species.
Not native but naturalized here: Balloon Plant, Tropical Milkweed, Giant Milkweed. Because Florida has mild winters, tropical milkweed can sustain year-round monarch breeding and raise OE parasite loads, so plant a native instead.
Planting milkweed in Florida
Sow seed outdoors in November to January. Winter then supplies the cold-moist stratification most milkweed seed needs, and germination happens naturally as the soil warms. If you have missed that window, chill seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow after your last frost. The full method is here.
Florida spans USDA zones 8a–11a, so check the zone range on each species page before committing. Match the species to your site rather than the other way round: dry, sunny and poor suits butterfly weed and the whorled species; a damp spot suits swamp milkweed; shade suits very few milkweeds at all.
Plant at least ten stems in one group rather than scattering them, because female monarchs find dense patches far more readily. Add late-season nectar such as goldenrod and asters so the fall migratory generation has fuel as well as host plants. How to lay out a monarch garden.
Where to buy milkweed in Florida
Start with Florida Native Plant Society. State native plant societies run the plant sales worth going to: locally grown, untreated stock, at a few dollars a plant, sold by people who can tell you where to put it.
In Florida
Independent Gulf Coast Florida native nursery.
Independent north Florida mail-order native nursery.
Florida natives only, and a good source of the native milkweeds that should replace tropical milkweed in the state.
Elsewhere in the southeast
Family-run native seed producer for the eastern and central states.
Non-profit nursery growing local-ecotype natives for the Potomac region.
Long-running independent southeastern native plant nursery.
Kentucky and Ohio Valley natives, grown as straight species rather than cultivars.
Tennessee natives grown from regional seed, with a strong list of glade and woodland species.
A volunteer non-profit propagating Chesapeake watershed natives from locally collected seed.
Run by Blue Water Baltimore, a watershed non-profit. Every plant sold funds stream restoration in the city.
Northern Virginia natives, straight species, grown by an ecologist who will talk you out of the wrong plant.
A West Virginia mail-order nursery with a deep and idiosyncratic perennial list, natives included.
North Carolina Piedmont natives from local seed, including several of the rarer coastal plain milkweeds.
Wetland and meadow natives for the Southeast, grown for restoration and sold retail too.
South Carolina natives, with sandhill and pine savanna species that are hard to find anywhere else.
Georgia Piedmont natives grown from seed collected on the farm and nearby.
A central Alabama nursery with a strong native and pollinator section alongside the heirlooms.
A public garden devoted to the Pearl River basin flora, running native plant sales twice a year.
Gulf coast natives including aquatic milkweed, one of the few species that will grow in standing water and shade.
A Louisiana mail-order nursery with a wide southern perennial list and reliable packing.
Arkansas natives and southeastern species, from a nursery that has been mail-ordering them for decades.
Ships to you
One of the widest milkweed seed and bare-root ranges anywhere, with germination codes listed for every species.
Long-established independent nursery specializing in Midwestern natives.
Independent seed producer supplying restoration-scale native seed by the pound.
Family-run Texas seed house focused on regional ecotypes.
Independent nursery growing Missouri-provenance natives.
These favor independent nurseries and non-profits over chain garden centers, which mostly stock unlabeled tropical milkweed and often cannot tell you whether it has been treated with neonicotinoids. Search the full directory by ZIP code.
Milkweed in Florida: common questions
What milkweed is native to Florida?
21 milkweed species are recorded in Florida, including Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis), Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis). The full list is on this page.
What is the best milkweed to plant in Florida?
Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Green Antelopehorn are the best combination of native, available and garden-worthy for Florida. Swamp Milkweed is the easiest to start with.
When should I plant milkweed seed in Florida?
Sow outdoors in November to January, so winter provides the cold stratification the seed needs. If you have missed that window, stratify seed in the refrigerator for 30 days and sow in spring after the last frost.
Does milkweed grow wild in Florida?
Yes. 24 species occur in Florida, typically on roadsides, field margins, prairie remnants and along watercourses. Florida holds a resident non-migratory monarch population in the south alongside migrants passing through the panhandle, and its native flora includes aquatic, pinewoods, largeflower and velvetleaf milkweed.
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Milkweed USA. (2026). Milkweed in Florida. Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/states/florida/
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Milkweed USA. "Milkweed in Florida." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/states/florida/.
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