Asclepias curassavica 'Apollo Orange' - Tropical Milkweed
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Asclepias curassavica ‘Apollo Orange’ turns up the heat with wonderfully exotic flowers in a striking combination of scarlet-orange and golden yellow. Rounded clusters of buds open above upright stems clothed in long, fresh green leaves, creating a colourful display with a distinctly tropical flavour.
Reaching around 70-90cm tall, ‘Apollo Orange’ has enough presence to stand out without becoming cumbersome, making it particularly good for sunny patio pots and warm, sheltered planting schemes. The intricate flowers are also rich in nectar, bringing extra life to the display as butterflies and other pollinating insects stop by to feed.
Unlike the hardier Asclepias tuberosa, this tropical milkweed is frost tender in Britain. Treat it as an exotic summer feature and it makes a fabulous companion for cannas, dahlias and other hot-coloured favourites.
Supplied in approx. 1 litre containers.
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Grow ‘Apollo Orange’ in full sun in a warm, sheltered position, using fertile, well-drained soil or a good quality peat-free, loam-based compost when growing in containers. Water regularly during active growth, allowing excess water to drain freely, and feed container plants periodically through the growing season. This is a tender plant, rated H1C by the RHS, so it should not be left outside through a typical UK winter. Bring container-grown plants under cover before temperatures fall significantly and keep them frost-free, reducing watering after flowering and keeping the compost much drier during winter. The sap can be harmful if eaten, so wear gloves when handling or cutting the plant.
The genus Asclepias is named after Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, but these plants are perhaps even better known for their relationship with monarch butterflies. Milkweeds act as host plants for monarch caterpillars in the Americas, while their nectar-rich flowers are visited by a much broader assortment of butterflies, bees and other insects.