pennefeather ..
I can only answer from my present (& 1st experience) that is taking place right now .. a seed that apparently fell into a crack in some mortar between some large rocks, (had to've been from last year), and has sprouted (thru the crack) - and sure seems to have eyes (Ha!) set on flowering! The single sprout is only about 8 inches tall, but it has wee lil t-nine-c buds forming up top!
All of our Butterflyweed plants were salvaged and/or dug from numerous spots nearby to us, and easily transplanted to our yarden ..
abl_newbie ..
Happy for you, that you'd found the answers you needed about the flowering of the Butterflyweed.
(Wanted to mention tho' .. as it relates to us folks a lil further north of ya)
Not only can you prune the Butterflyweed early on, when it first begins to sprout from the ground, to bring about a bushier/sturdier plant - you can also prune/cut back the stems, after you see the flowers 'exhausting'.
I've not ever cut all of the plants back. So much depends on if I've noticed the Monarch butterflies visiting yet or not, etc., along with maintaining an ample food source for any of the Monarch caterpillars (or eggs) that've already been spotted, or, reasonably expecting soon.
This year, I've pruned most all of the orange Butterflyweed, but left half of the one single, but large clump of the yellows to remain. Done this, to ensure their producing an ample # of seed pods. I can collect now, and more later on.
All of the pruned stems have already put on several new sprouts at each cut, and are making new flower buds. Mite I add: jes in the nick-of-time to boot!! .. lol ..
The really peculiar thing is ... we've found, dug and transplanted two or three other 'varieties' of milkweed plants, only a couple of months ago - and there's not been the first Monarch (flyer or crawler), that has shown any interest in them, at all! Ahh, but somewhat of an simple explanation could be, that they're jes much too spoiled to the long established and larger clumps of Butterflyweed. .. hee ..
- Magpye
