Questions re: specific milkweed

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Anniesfollies Carlsbad, CA(Zone 10b) Sep 01, 2013

Hi All,
I finally planted for butterflies this year, including the Monarch and want to add the plant listed below. The DG Plant Files says it's deciduous, but one of the pictures says it was taken in winter in Santa Cruz near the beach. I'm in Carlsbad, San Diego Co., four miles back from the beach, and get no frost. I think my growing conditions are about the same as Santa Cruz, but I'd like to make sure before I plant them. It is incredible how much milkweed the monarchs eat - almost through 12 plants so far. I don't want a stick garden winter and summer, so am figuring out where and what to place them with based on whether they are deciduous or not. Has anyone had any experience with this particular milkweed? (I would ask in the Butterfly Forum but they all seem to live in the mid or eastern part of the country.)
Any information/advice would be appreciated.
Annie
Swan Plant Milkweed, Tennis Ball Bush, Gomphocarpus fruticosus
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37912/#ixzz2dgL0KUTC

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JasperDale Long Beach, CA(Zone 10a) Sep 02, 2013

I've grown it here in the past and it definitely goes deciduous in the winter. Oddly enough, the one I had hitch-hiked in with another plant and I didn't know what it was so I let it grow. We do get frost here. I'm 5 blocks from the water but your climate is probably like ours with the exception of the frost.
I'm still baffled as to why we get frost here.
The other Asclepias I've grown get rather ratty looking in the winter as well so I just cut them back and they resprout very early in the spring.

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