The Monarch Gardener
Free Milkweeds
Common milkweed
Click here to view and fill in the Google Form. If you have any problem with it please email me: themonarchgardener@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest in a free flat of
milkweed plugs! The Monarch Gardener is
providing flats of up to 16 seedlings in
2" pots for the 2020 planting season for two
local schools and non-profit centers. Preschools,
public schools, senior centers, community
centers, non-profits, spiritual centers,
scout groups and municipal sites are all
welcome to apply (and if you think you qualify and are not on that list please apply!)
These plants won't be available for shipping, however I am willing to deliver flats within a reasonable distance around the North Shore of MA and also visit your site for advice. But if you are not local and can come to Ipswich, MA for pick-up you can still apply!
These flats will be comprised of common milkweed locally native to New England, drought tolerant and preferring full to part sun. The seedlings should be planted about a foot apart, therefore a garden plot of 50 to 100 square feet is recommended (6'x6' to 10'x10'). Milkweeds don't mind bad soil but adding compost to the garden bed is also recommended as it will help retain moisture.
You will note on the application that the seedlings will need to be established. While drought tolerant, regular watering is required over the first few weeks to establish the root system. After that regular weeding will be needed to guarantee they will not be outcompeted by larger, more aggressive weeds.
Nectar perennials and annuals that flower throughout the summer are also recommended in your gardens as it will attract monarchs to it when the milkweed may not be flowering. Monarch females will lay eggs on milkweed whether or not it's flowering. For a list of recommended nectar plants please click on icon: For a list with photos click here.
Applications must be received by April 15th and the recipients will be contacted and announced May 1st. Submission instructions are in the application.
The 2016 flats of free milkweeds were awarded to five Massachusetts schools: Newbury Elementary; River Valley Charter School, Newburyport; Horace Mann Lab School, Salem; Nathaniel Bowditch School, Salem; and the Barrows Elementary School, Reading.
The 2017 flats were awarded to the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm in Newbury, MA, The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn in Swampscott, MA and the Newburyport Butterfly Garden along the new rail trail in Newburyport MA.
The 2019 flats were awarded to the Bresnahan School of Newburyport, MA and the Devereux School of Marblehead, MA
Thank you to all the applicants! I look forward to watching these milkweed patches grow and sharing the magic of the gardens with hundreds of students.
Please feel free to contact with me with any questions and I look forward to receiving your application!
Katie Hone
themonarchgardener@gmail.com
Ipswich, MA
2020 Free Milkweed Application for Schools/Non-Profits