Hello everybody, I'm (sort of) new to gardening, and I'm trying to grow Milkweed, for the first time.
Not sure if it needs full sun or a sun/part shade location.
Also, on the label (I got the plant still in the pot) it says: Prefers dry location .
I think this means when established, am I right?
So, when should I stop watering it?

Thanks for any advice.

Yes, Octave, I grow two varieties of asclepias: One is yours, the Asclepias tuberosa or Butterfly Milkweed which is the shorter orang-y variety. The other is Asclepias incarnata or Swamp Milkweed. That's the taller, pink variety. It smells like bubble gum to me. As its name implies, the Swamp Milkweed can stand some 'wet feet'.

But I have the tuberosa, Butterfly Milkweed, planted in a different area because, as you noted, it prefers a drier location. That simply means that it needs to be planted in an an area of your garden with excellent drainage; where no water is allowed to pool. It also means that a plant can withstand drought periods better than others.

Water it in the beginning as you would any newly-planted perennial. Then just let nature take its course and whatever rain falls will be sufficient. Unless you run into an inordinately long period of extended and severe drought. In which case, it'll still fare better than your other perennials, so I'd tend to them first.

Enjoy the butterflies!

We picked one of these up last spring and it was a monarch magnet, but for some reason it's not coming back this year. I'm pretty sure it's seeded successfully as the area around it has several similar looking seedlings coming up, but why would such a well established, healthy perennial like this (and one that seems to withstand a range of conditions) not come back? Has anyone else had problems with this plant?

I've planted about a half dozen Asclepias tuberosa around my property and they do just fine for the most part with only occasional watering. But I've got a couple of volunteers that popped up in a spot where I grow a lot of thirsty plants, a spot that gets more regular watering than any place else on my property and pretty much stays moist throughout the growing season, and yet the milkweed seems to be just as happy there as it is in the driest spots. I've read that the stuff doesn't like wet feet, but some of mine don't seem to care.

When I had a garden in Texas, my milkweed (the orange one) died back every year...and that was zone 8 or 7. It would reseed, but those seeds liked it HOT, and wouldn't really get going until it heated up.

Sometimes a thick clumpy root of one, would come back from the roots.