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In the last couple of years I've planted about 300 Milkweed seeds, and not one of them grew. I've let some freeze in the ground, and I've frozen some in the freezer. I've been told that some take two years to germinate; none of mine did.
– Tom, Toronto, Ontario
Dear Tom,
Dot’s milkweed-loving heart hurts simply reading your letter. And I hesitate to share the following, lest you think I’m gloating. I assure you I’m not. Rather, I’m hoping that my success will inspire you to keep trying. And I vow to you that I will do my best to unearth expertise to help you, too, achieve milkweed success.
Roughly a decade ago, Dot responded to an offer by the David Suzuki Foundation to receive and plant milkweed seeds. The environmental organization asked only that I provide my location so they could ensure I received the appropriate native milkweed species, and, shortly thereafter, my seeds arrived in the mail, at which point I poked them into the soil in the garden outside my office windows.
Even now, with about a foot of snow on the ground, I can see their thick bamboo-like stalks, winter soldiers awaiting spring.
Once the warm weather hits, my milkweed will grow like, well, like a weed. New milkweed plants will no doubt also poke up in both my garden and (because they spread) my lawn. Did I do anything special to make my milkweed so prolific? I did not. And so I am bewildered at the challenges you have faced coaxing milkweed from your soil.
Consequently, Tom, I reached out to a number of experts to see if they might know why your milkweed is so stubborn … and how you might turn things around.
What does Dot (and the experts) recommend? Keep reading.
