#Lowe's

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was at Lowe’s and I walked past an aisle where Jensen Ackles was shopping for something. I walked past another aisle and where the refrigerators should have been, it was a golf course, where I saw Jensen Ackles again but he was playing golf with Mark Pellegrino.

[solarpunkani]

Milkweed Lovers Everywhere, Heed My Warning

By all means let me know if I'm wrong here, but if I'm not wrong then we're looking at a serious (at least to me) problem.

I've been trying to stray away from Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and towards more native species in my area--things like swamp, sandhill, etc--and Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) fits in that category for me. It's hard to find native milkweed plants in stores--even places I've gone to in the past that had a handful of native species are currently only selling Tropical Milkweed. Even still, I know that there's been a good bit of buzz around growing native species, and some stores I've visited have said they're trying to find vendors with native species--they're not only selling Tropical for lack of trying.

So imagine my surprise--and delight--when I go to Lowe's and see Asclepias tubersoa blazoned on a plant label!

And imagine my surprise when it's being sold right next to Tropical Milkweed and looks almost identical to it.

I was immediately suspicious--especially considering the red flower buds on the 'Butterfly weed'. I've grown Tropical Milkweed for several years, and while it's been awhile since I've seen a Butterfly Weed plant outside of a photograph, these definitely didn't look like what I'd seen. Not to mention, I'd only heard of Asclepias tuberosa flowering in orange or yellow--not red. Of course, at the same time, I'm not a professional botanist, and a quick google search did declare that butterfly weed can grow in red (though the images all look like asclepias curassavica to me...).

(Image from the Native Plant Database. Looking at this picture, I should've realized where this was going sooner...)

So I did the reasonable thing and bought two of them. I figured if the red buds somehow turned orange and were actually Butterfly Weed, then I'd be perfectly satisfied. If they turned out to be Tropical Milkweed, well, I simply would give them to my neighbor who's fond of them, or find something else to do with them.

(I feel the need to emphasize; there are a lot of people online who are in the 'if you plant tropical milkweed you're a horrible person and intentionally killing monarch butterflies' camp. I am not one of them; it's not invasive in my area of Florida, it just takes a little bit of extra managing in terms of cutting it back in October/November.)

I ended up in the same Lowe's again today, shopping for my mom, and took a peek at their plant selection. Lo and behold, I found the Butterfly Weed, and...

This sure does look like Tropical Milkweed to me, and to others in my gardening server, yet it's still labeled as 'Butterfly Weed.' Also, I didn't see any Tropical Milkweed on any of the shelves--at least, nothing labeled as Tropical Milkweed. Instead, all I saw was Tropical Milkweed disguised as Butterfly Weed.

This is, in my humble pollinator garden enthusiast opinion, a problem. At best, Lowe's--or the company they source their plants from--is mislabeling their plants on accident. Which could cause problems if people are buying the plants and putting them in a place that's not quite the right condition for them, or create severe disappointment if someone's excited to grow the native Asclepias tuberosa only to end up with something else entirely. At worst? Lowe's--or the company they source their plants from--are aware that people want to grow native milkweed and are either unable to or too lazy to grow them, and would rather try to get away with selling Tropical Milkweed--which has been growing increasingly controversial in some gardening circles--and still reap the benefits and profits of selling native milkweed species.

However, I'll be real? I'm not sure what exactly to do about it. So I guess I'm just letting everyone know; if you see 'Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)' in your local Lowe's, at least double check. Otherwise, you may plant Tropical Milkweed/Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) instead.

[scodeeyodee]

Deco Lowe's CC

NOW PUBLIC

Deco Lowe's

Lowe's Sign

Download: Patreon

[thanos-the-dad-titan]

I have a great need of one of these. What I'll do with it I have no idea, but it's so damn cute.

[cassidy-peterson]

THIS WAS IN TODAY'S OFFICIAL TRAINING MODULE

[stuph-i-like]

Time to get the flower garden started.

[racecargraveyard]

2008 Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Homestead-Miami Raced Version Custom. 2nd time winner of a 3rd consecutive Championship.

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was on a field trip to Lowe's.

[official-lowes]

Here at Lowe's, we only pay the employees if there is no more money possible to squeeze out of the company! Our employees do not deserve to work "full-time" positions according to our customers*!

We're more than happy to provide our loyal shoppers with excellent customer service! Starting with such an all-star cast:

Autistic cashier we cannot accommodate for! (Autism is not real.)

Transgender desk associate who will be fired despite being the friendliest face you'll ever see here! (We're not against gay people, just not in our stores.)

and...

Old and/or overworked customer service desk associate who is fussy and irritated! (Usually do to being overworked.)

*For legal reasons, none of these are true.

Have a Lowe's Safe day!

[nascarwallpapers]

2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Download full resolution & extras on Patreon.

[2003-playground]

Can we stop using "still lives with their parents" or "unemployed" or "doesn't have a drivers license" or "didn't graduate high school" as an insult or evidence that someone is a bad person? Struggling with independence or meeting milestones is not a moral failing.

[bucksboobs]

Richard Siken… Richard Fucking Siken. You asked RICHARD SIKEN if his poems were inspired by BUDDIE. Gay men do not exist in people’s heads except as props huh?