Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a deciduous, native, herbaceous perennial wildflower. It grows in average, well-drained soils in full sun but can tolerate poor or dry soils. It propagates easily by seed or root cuttings and will naturalize in the garden, taking up quite a bit of space. 

In summer, five-petaled flowers bloom with up to 100 flowers per cluster and one to three clusters per stem. Fragrant flowers in colors of green, pink, white, and purple or lavender will last from June through August. Plants can grow 3 to 5 feet tall. 

Common milkweed not only provides nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators but is a larval host plant for monarch butterflies. 

Common milkweed can be used in naturalized areas, meadows, and butterfly, native, or pollinator gardens, but its wild and rangy form is not ideal for planting in borders.