Balloon Milkweed (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) Quick Facts:
Host plant to Monarch Butterfly
Perennial in USDA zones 9-10, annual in colder areas
Full Sun
Medium moist soil with good drainage
4-6 ft tall, 3 ft wide
Can be grown in large containers
Grown from seed
Fast grower!
Seed pods are round balls with soft bristles
Gomphocarpus physocarpus Plants
Our plants are grown specifically to be safe for butterflies/caterpillars. These plants are in a 3 1/2″ pot and are ready to go in the ground or be potted into a larger container. They are waiting to feed Monarch caterpillars! Fast growers.
vsf82 (verified owner) –
I ordered 2 of these & received them rather quickly. They are such a good quality plant and they were about 2 foot tall when I received them, so they were already well established. Great Job Joyful Butterfly!!
Colleen Gaffney (verified owner) –
I received my 6 “Hairy Balls” yesterday and they were in perfect condition. They were much taller than I expected. I live in Massachusetts and raise monarch’s. The season goes from July – September/October and by the beginning of September my swamp and common milkweed are dying. This milkweed lasts for so long with fresh soft leaves for the cats. It doesn’t grow as a perennial in my area, but I will absolutely order it every year.
Alfred Daniel (verified owner) –
I am in my 2nd year of planting Balloon Milkweed. These plants appear to be the greatest producer of Monarch Cats. I have over a hundred milkweed plants and about 10 are Balloon, well over 80% of the Cats I find are on the Balloon. Collected 37 cats yesterday. I will continue to increase my annual Balloon Milkweed purchase as they are not perennial in my region. As ALWAYS, the plants are packaged incredibly well and arrive in great shape.