General Culture:

Easily grown in medium to wet soils in full sun. Surprisingly tolerant of average well-drained soils in cultivation even though the species is native to swamps and wet meadows. Plants have deep taproots and are best left undisturbed once established. Foliage is slow to emerge in spring. ‘Soulmate’ is available from seed and may self-seed in the garden.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

‘Soulmate’ is a swamp milkweed cultivar that typically grows 3-3.5’ tall on branching stems. It is an erect, clump-forming plant that is basically a deep rose pink form of the pink/mauve-flowered Missouri native species (see G410). Small, mildly fragrant, deep rose pink flowers (1/4” wide), each with five reflexed petals and an elevated central crown, appear in tight clusters (umbels) at the stem ends in summer. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves are 3-6” long. Stems exude a toxic milky sap when cut. Flowers are followed by attractive slender seed pods (to 4” long) which split open when ripe releasing silky-haired seeds easily carried by the wind. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies as a nectar source. In addition, this plant serves as a food source for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies.