Asclepias 'Ice Ballet'

Asclepias 'Ice Ballet': Swamp Milkweed in Crisp White

Pure white, vanilla-scented clusters on upright stems, as elegant as a dancer in the first act. 'Ice Ballet' loves wet clay and hosts monarchs like a pro. PIROUETTE IN THE PUDDLES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'
• Common Name: Swamp Milkweed
• Height: 90–120 cm (3–4 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Pure white, lightly vanilla-scented clusters at the stem tips, followed by slim seed pods
• Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall (July to September)
• Foliage: Narrow, lance-shaped, deep green leaves on an upright clump
• Features: Monarch host plant, tolerates clay and wet soil, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it in a sunny border, a rain garden, a low spot that stays damp or along the edge of a pond. White flowers cool down a hot colour scheme and glow in the evening, so it's a nice choice near a patio.

Companion Plants: Give white 'Ice Ballet' a sunny bed with average to moist soil and yellow and purple partners. Paeonia 'Bartzella' opens lemon-yellow Itoh peonies at 80 cm in May and June. Leucanthemum Amazing Daisies® 'Banana Cream II' adds lemon to cream daisies at 50 to 60 cm from June to August. Aster 'Purple Dome' brings royal purple asters at 45 to 60 cm from August to October. Muhlenbergia Undaunted® adds a fine mound that turns into a pink-red haze in September and October.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun. It prefers consistently moist soil but grows well in average garden soil too, including clay. Water regularly during its first season and through hot, dry spells. Swamp milkweed comes up late in spring, so mark the spot. Deadhead if you'd like to tidy it, or leave the pods for seeds. The milky sap is toxic and can irritate skin, so wear gloves when cutting. Cut stems back in late fall or early spring. It has a deep root, so it's best left in one place rather than divided.

History: 'Ice Ballet' is a white-flowered seed selection of swamp milkweed, introduced by the German seed house Jelitto Perennial Seed in 1992. The species, Asclepias incarnata, is native from Quebec to Manitoba and south to the Gulf states, and its name means flesh-coloured, after the usual pink flowers.

Final Thoughts: Plant it in the soggy spot where nothing else behaves. The butterflies will take a bow. THE PRIMA DONNA OF THE RAIN GARDEN.