Puffball Milkweed
asclepias physocarpa

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant per 6 square feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: beetles
harvest notes: prune for wanted shape
season: spring, summer, fall, winter
perennial

Balloon plant has earned that name for a unique reason. The seed pods of balloon plant are round balls about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. They are covered with soft bristles, which has also earned them the name of Hairy Balls plant. Most other milkweeds have longer and more slender seed pods. We used to rely on a local butterfly plant nursery for our supply of these plants and they always sold out instantly, because they are such a beautiful and unusual plant to have in the garden, so we were happy to be able to source seeds this season for our own plant production.

This is a larger and taller milkweed than what you may be used to. Expect this plant to get about 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall! Balloon plant milkweed likes full sun and will grow in dry to medium moist (prefers medium moist) soil with good drainage. It will also grow well in large containers. Like all other milkweeds “puffball milkweed” as we affectionately call it, is a host plant for monarch butterflies.