Common milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
A native, colony-forming milkweed for sunny pollinator meadows, monarch habitat, and larger naturalized areas.
Native: 27 US states + 2 CA provinces
Climate fit: broad (94/100)
Pollinator
Filler
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
36-60" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
AHS heat range
1-11
Plant range authored in AHS heat-zone terms.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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A documented larval host for the Milkweed tussock moth and 1 other species — specialist wildlife that depend on plants like this to reproduce.
Cold hardiness
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Well-suited
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
›
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Atlantic coastal pine barrens
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
›
Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Chilean Matorral
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Similar plants
Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.
Rudbeckia fulgida
Black-eyed Susan
A tough, bright perennial for sunny borders, pollinator patches, and late-summer color.
Achillea millefolium
Common yarrow
A drought- and heat-tolerant perennial in the daisy family with fern-like aromatic foliage and flat-topped flower clusters. Native to temperate North America, Europe, and western Asia; one of the most climate-resilient pollinator plants for full-sun beds, lawn alternatives, and naturalized meadows.
Phlox paniculata
Garden phlox
A native upright perennial with fragrant midsummer flower panicles in pink, white, lavender, or red — a classic border anchor and hummingbird-friendly choice for sunny beds.
Zizia aurea
Golden alexanders
A clump-forming native perennial of the carrot family that opens flat-topped, compound umbels of tiny golden-yellow flowers in late spring, when little else is blooming. The toothed, twice-divided-in-threes (biternate) foliage and the bare central flower stalk on each umbel set it apart from other umbellifers. A documented larval host for the black swallowtail and an early-season nectar and pollen source for short-tongued native bees.
Echinacea purpurea
Purple coneflower
A drought-tolerant native perennial of the central and eastern United States with long summer bloom, strong pollinator value, and winter seedheads for birds.
Monarda didyma
Scarlet bee balm
A fragrant native perennial with red summer flowers that draw hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Appears in collections
Collection · 8 plants
Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)
A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern North American natives with broad hardiness ranges and wide native distributions. Built for gardeners who want a planting that can handle warming zones without giving up wildlife value.
Collection · 9 plants
Native pollinator border (eastern US)
A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Retrieved 2026, June 24, from https://plotwright.com/plants/asclepias-syriaca
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
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Regional guidance
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Designer notes
