B&WSarah
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Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:35 pm
Location: Austin, TX

Container Milkweed in Fall/Winter

All right! I tried to be a good first-time poster and searched around for an answer to this and haven't found it. I was given 4 Zizotes Milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides) plants in terracotta pots recently. They are all different sized pots - I need to put them each in a larger pot because I assume they need more room bc of their taproots. I am in Austin, TX and we've had some colder temps (for Texas) recently - 30s and 40s. The leaves are turning orange and/or yellow. I am not sure if this is because of a lack of water, too much water, or if this is what normally happens with native milkweed in Texas during the late fall. 1) Is this to be expected w/ milkweed at this time of year? 2) Should I cut them back at this point? 3) Are they okay to leave outside, or should I bring the pots in? Are they as wussy as me when it comes to colder weather?
I would rather not plant them in the ground since we rent our house, but maybe that would just make this whole thing a lot easier.
I'm having a hard time finding info on this. A few things I've read indicate that milkweed can be cut back and then comes back in the spring, but I am not sure if this is true for containers as well.
I am an inexperienced gardener. I think I might be a helicopter mom gardener as well, which I hear isn't necessary for natives. I know zizotes milkweed is pretty common, but I'm a tad in love with it right now.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm not familiar with that particular milkweed. I looked it up and it is a southern variety, native only in TX, LA, CO, NM, OK, which would explain why I haven't seen it. It is cold hardy to zone 7a and you are in zone 8b, one and a half zones warmer, so even in a container it will be fine outdoors for the winter and will prefer that. It needs the cold dormancy. Milkweeds are herbaceous perennials, meaning they die back in winter, which is what it is doing now. Once it turns brown and dries out, cut the stems off near ground level. It will come back in spring.

B&WSarah
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:35 pm
Location: Austin, TX

<3 Thank you!



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