{"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.\nWatch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qw24JnUOitQ \nSkip to what you want to know:\n00:46 Hey Ken! How do you say Asclepias?\n01:28 What's in a name? A scientific name!\n03:08 What is Asclepias (milkweed), and how many species of Asclepias are out in the world?\n04:11 History of Asclepias.\n07:37 Uses of milkweed outside of the garden\n09:30 The negative image of milkweed in the agricultural community\n12:02 Milkweeds for the garden. Listing the species of Asclepias native to Illinois. https://dnr.illinois.gov/education/wildaboutpages/wildaboutplants/wildaboutplantsmilkweeds.html\n13:28 The most common milkweeds we often see in a home landscape\n15:17 Our favorite milkweeds that we grow\n21:32 Key identifying characteristics of Asclepias\n23:05 Milkweed and pollination: who is the best pollinator for the job?\n24:41 Milkweed pollination biology https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/nvpmctn12764.pdf\n27:39 Milkweed toxicity and monarch butterflies\n28:34 All the other insects using milkweed besides the monarch butterfly\n30:16 What is the best milkweed for monarch butterflies?\n30:44 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00169/full Monarch Butterflies Show Differential Utilization of Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species\n37:35 Talking about honeyvine milkweed\n42:19 How do you harvest and grow milkweed seeds?\n45:56 Transplanting milkweed\n47:09 milkweed maintenance\n48:45 Mowing for monarchs https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2018-08-28-mowing-monarchs\n52:08 Who decreed 2025 the year of Asclepias?\n53:34 Thank you and see you next week!\nPhotos:\nKen...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xc4SReNXKRjN_Y7N9jxy35n4ic5x1A4QozuI4WJcAVA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82OTg0/ZDFmZjg4NWEzNmQ4/YjJlYjliNTgyODAw/N2I3Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}