Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Cinderella Swamp Milkweed: Monarch Magnet for the Wet Spot
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Cinderella swamp milkweed is a native milkweed with large, flat-topped clusters of rose-pink flowers that smell faintly of vanilla. The flowers are loaded with nectar and pollen, drawing monarchs and other butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, and the leaves feed monarch caterpillars. It blooms from midsummer for a long stretch, and deadheading the first round brings another flush about a month later.
It likes sun, like lavender, but it wants far more moisture. That makes it the perfect plant for the damp corner your lavender would never tolerate.
Cinderella at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' |
| Flowers | Rose pink with paler crowns, in clusters 3 to 4 inches across; vanilla scented |
| Foliage | Narrow, smooth, medium green |
| Size | 3 to 5 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide |
| Bloom | Starts early July, peaks late July, long blooming |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Wildlife | Monarch host plant; excellent for pollinators; deer resistant |
The wet neighbor of a lavender bed
Every property has a low spot where water lingers after rain. Lavender planted there would rot, but Cinderella thrives in it. Plant it in a rain garden, by a downspout or along a pond, ideally where you can see it from the lavender beds. Both plants pull in pollinators, so together they make the whole garden hum from June into September.
It also adapts to ordinary garden soil, so a regularly watered border nearby works too. Just keep it out of the dry, lean lavender bed, where it would struggle and drop its lower leaves. Map your wet and dry zones in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Light: full sun for strong stems and lots of flowers.
- Soil and water: average to consistently moist. In drought the lower leaves yellow and drop.
- Late riser: shoots emerge late in spring. Mark the spot so it is not dug up by mistake.
- Deadheading: remove the first flowers to encourage a second bloom.
- Aphids: orange milkweed aphids are common but harmless. Chewed leaves usually mean monarch caterpillars, which is the point.
- Winter: very hardy. Cut stems back in late fall or leave them for winter structure.
Flowers, pods and a safety note
Cinderella is a good cut flower with a sweet scent. If you want seed for monarchs and other wildlife, leave a few slender pods to ripen. All parts of milkweed, including the milky sap, are toxic if eaten, so wear gloves if the sap bothers your skin and keep it away from pets that chew plants.
Plug tray or bare root
Cinderella is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for large rain gardens and native plantings, and as a bare root plant for home gardens. See each product page for current availability, or visit the Wholesale Hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is it the same as butterfly weed?
No. Both are milkweeds, but swamp milkweed tolerates much wetter soil and has pink flowers.
Will monarch caterpillars hurt it?
They will eat some leaves, and the plant recovers. Feeding monarchs is one of the best reasons to grow it.
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