{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Good Growing","title":"Ep. 215 Get to Know Asclepias (Milkweed) 2025 plant of the year | #GoodGrowing","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3299,"description":"In this episode of the Good Growing Podcast, horticulture educators Chris Enroth and Ken Johnson dive deep into the fascinating world of milkweed—also known by its genus name, Asclepias. Whether you're a native plant enthusiast, pollinator advocate, or just curious about why this \"weed\" is the National Garden Bureau’s Plant of the Year, this episode is packed with insights.Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qw24JnUOitQ Skip to what you want to know:00:46 Hey Ken! How do you say Asclepias?01:28 What's in a name? A scientific name!03:08 What is Asclepias (milkweed), and how many species of Asclepias are out in the world?04:11 History of Asclepias.07:37 Uses of milkweed outside of the garden09:30 The negative image of milkweed in the agricultural community12:02 Milkweeds for the garden. Listing the species of Asclepias native to Illinois. https://dnr.illinois.gov/education/wildaboutpages/wildaboutplants/wildaboutplantsmilkweeds.html13:28 The most common milkweeds we often see in a home landscape15:17 Our favorite milkweeds that we grow21:32 Key identifying characteristics of Asclepias23:05 Milkweed and pollination: who is the best pollinator for the job?24:41 Milkweed pollination biology https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/nvpmctn12764.pdf27:39 Milkweed toxicity and monarch butterflies28:34 All the other insects using milkweed besides the monarch butterfly30:16 What is the best milkweed for monarch butterflies?30:44 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00169/full Monarch Butterflies Show Differential Utilization of Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species37:35 Talking about honeyvine milkweed42:19 How do you harvest and grow milkweed seeds?45:56 Transplanting milkweed47:09 milkweed maintenance48:45 Mowing for monarchs https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2018-08-28-mowing-monarchs52:08 Who decreed 2025 the year of Asclepias?53:34 Thank you and see you next week!Photos:Ken Johnson, University of Illinois...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/R8M4jy-2EktViSJpDBxEJL2IulcAlRJg8ktxlDJM3UA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQzNDE1LzE2ODk3/OTA0NTktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}