Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet') in the Milkweeds Database

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences:	Wet Wet Mesic Mesic Dry Mesic Dry
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 9b
Plant Height:	24 - 48 inches
Plant Spread:	18 - 24 inches
Leaves:	Other: Plants have deep taproots and are best left undisturbed once established. Foliage is slow to emerge in spring. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves are 3-6" long.
Flowers:	Showy Fragrant Other: Mildly fragrant
Flower Color:	White
Bloom Size:	Under 1"
Flower Time:	Late spring or early summer Summer Late summer or early fall
Underground structures:	Taproot
Suitable Locations:	Bog gardening
Uses:	Water gardens Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Butterflies
Resistances:	Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant
Toxicity:	Leaves are poisonous Roots are poisonous Other: Stems exude a toxic milky sap when cut.
Propagation: Seeds:	Provide light Self fertile Stratify seeds: 3 months at 40 degrees Suitable for wintersowing
Propagation: Other methods:	Cuttings: Root Division
Pollinators:	Moths and Butterflies Bees Various insects
Containers:	Not suitable for containers

Common names

Swamp Milkweed
Milkweed

Photo Gallery

Location: Ingleside. Illinois
Date: 2022-08-07

Uploaded by antsinmypants

Uploaded by Shelly

Uploaded by Edvinas

Uploaded by treehugger

Location: Wilmington, Delaware USA
Date: 6/18/2021
First flowers on seed-grown plants

Uploaded by Gerris2

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: 2022-07-06
Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'.

Uploaded by janelp_lee

Uploaded by janelp_lee

Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date: 2016-07-05

Uploaded by DebbieC

Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: Sep 19, 2006 10:42 AM
Monarch Caterpillar on leaf

Uploaded by Marilyn

Uploaded by Edvinas

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Date: 2021-06-02

Uploaded by BlueOddish

Uploaded by poisondartfrog

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by robertduval14

Uploaded by robertduval14

Uploaded by ge1836

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: 2023-06-27
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet').

Uploaded by janelp_lee

Uploaded by molanic

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2015-07-06

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Location: Ray Wiegand's Nursery, Macomb, MI
Date: 2015-07-05

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: My Yard, zone 6a
Date: 2010-06-22

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by ge1836

Uploaded by ge1836

Photo Courtesy of Lazy S'S Farm Nursery.

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by ge1836

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Photo Courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Used with permissio

Uploaded by Joy

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Comments:

Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 22, 2014 7:42 PM concerning plant:

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet') is a larval host plant for the Queen and Monarch butterflies and a key Monarch Way Station plant. It is an excellent source of nectar for late season butterflies and moths, and attracts a variety of pollinators. Swamp Milkweed also has special value to native, bumble, and honey bees, including yellowfaced, sweat, green sweat, small resin, and leafcutter bees.

Swamp Milkweed supports conservation biological control by attracting numerous beneficial insects to the garden, including a variety of wasp species (great black, great golden digger, squareheaded), flies (tachinid, bee, syrphid), and beetles (soldier, longhorn, banded longhorned). Caution should also be used with regard to yellow jackets, a nest-building wasp species which may also be attracted to this plant.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Sep 29, 2011 5:13 PM concerning plant:

Beautiful white flowered form of Swamp Milkweed. Like the other milkweeds, it is the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
Catmint20906	On June 5, 2015	Bloomed
dkr	On June 1, 2014	Obtained plant
MunchkinsMom	On June 10, 2016	Bloomed One stalk is straight up 21" tall, the other stalk is 20" tall but has a serious curve.
MunchkinsMom	On April 2, 2016	Transplanted Kitchen Rock, two stalks--one about 8" tall, one about 1" tall, both leafed out
MunchkinsMom	On November 2, 2015	Obtained plant Dogwooderitternet eBay Dormant
lovesblooms	On March 1, 2020	Seeds sown winter sow
lovesblooms	On February 18, 2017	Seeds germinated
lovesblooms	On February 4, 2017	Seeds sown indoors
lovesblooms	On March 22, 2016	Seeds germinated
lovesblooms	On March 5, 2016	Seeds sown indoors
christine2	On May 19, 2017	Obtained plant 3 BR

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Milkweeds Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet')

Milkweeds

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet')