How Can I Stop Orange Flowers On My Butterfly Weed From Falling Off?

Question

I planted butterfly weed in the spring of 2019. It came back very nicely this year. The green stems and leaves look very healthy and it producing a lot of orange flowers, but the flowers fall off after a couple of days. Do you know what can cause this? I realize monarchs don’t need the flowers, but I like they way the flowers look. In the attached photo, you can see a remaining flower and then places where flowers used to exist.

Answer 1

This can happen from soils that remain moist for too long. These plants prefer the soil to be on the dry side, and will not perform their best when soils remain moist. If you provide any extra water, I would refrain from doing so. If rain is all they get, then you may be at the mercy of the weather, unforunately.

Refrain from feeding them, as they will not be heavy feeders. The soil will container more than enough to sustain them, naturally.

Here is an article that will help you with their care:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/growing-butterfly-weed.htm