Swamp milkweed is a perennial plant native to North America and a well-known pollinator that attracts monarch butterflies. Monarchs lay their eggs on swamp milkweeds and thrive in average soil as long as it is kept moist.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, it is an excellent addition to a native plant garden.
But in addition to requiring plenty of moisture, swamp milkweed also loves sunshine, which one gardener found out the hard way and posted about on Reddit.
With the caption "rookie mistake," the Redditor shared a photo of swamp milkweed, rose mallow, and sneezeweed planted last year.
"The swamp milkweed did great last year but was blocked out from the sun this year," the gardener wrote in the caption. "The rose mallow is up to 5 ½ feet, and the sneezeweed is absolutely massive this year at over 6 feet. I'm moving things around in the spring."
The subreddit r/NativePlantGardening offers helpful advice on embracing the natural lawn look for lower costs, less maintenance, and a reduced environmental impact. However, growing native plants still takes a bit of trial and error to find out what grows best on your property and how to arrange plants in a way that is beautiful and beneficial to the environment.
But even if you're a newbie at growing a wild yard and making a few mistakes as you learn, you'll still be supporting native pollinators and keeping your yard free from water waste and toxic pesticides and herbicides.
"Sometimes the plants are a little dramatic," one Reddit user wrote supporting the gardener in the comment section.
"They are a little temperamental," a Redditor commented. "Need a good bit of sun, though not necessarily full/all day."
Another Redditor commented on the original poster's plan to move the plants, "We're so close to fall, no reason not to wait until the plants are dormant."
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