Creamy Milk Vetch Seeds (Astragalus racemosus) - Native Wildflower

Enrich Your Prairie with Creamy Milk Vetch

Transform your landscape with Creamy Milk Vetch (Astragalus racemosus), a remarkable native legume that brings both beauty and ecological benefits to prairie gardens. These hardy seeds produce elegant cream to pale yellow pea-like flowers while naturally enriching your soil with nitrogen.

Why Creamy Milk Vetch is Perfect for Your Garden

• Soil Enricher: Nitrogen-fixing legume that naturally improves soil fertility
• Pollinator Magnet: Cream-colored flowers attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects
• Prairie Native: Authentic central and western U.S. wildflower adapted to local conditions
• Drought Tolerant: Thrives in dry conditions once established
• Long Blooming: Extended flowering period from late spring through early summer
• Wildlife Value: Provides forage and habitat for native wildlife

Growing Information

Bloom Time: May through July
Height: 1-3 feet
Spacing: 12-18 inches apart
Sun Requirements: Full sun
Water Needs: Low to moderate, drought tolerant once established
Soil: Sandy or loamy soils, well-draining preferred

Planting Instructions

Seeds benefit from scarification and cold stratification for best germination. Direct sow in fall or early spring. Plant 1/4 inch deep in prepared soil. Perfect for prairie restorations, wildflower meadows, and native plant gardens.

Create a thriving prairie ecosystem while naturally improving your soil with this beautiful and beneficial native legume.

Astragalus racemosus (Creamy Milkvetch) is a native perennial legume of the Great Plains, valued for its clusters of creamy-white, fragrant flowers.

Site Selection
Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils; tolerates poor, dry conditions typical of shortgrass prairie.

Planting Outdoors
Sow in fall for natural stratification, or in spring after scarifying seeds (nick the seed coat or soak in warm water for 24 hours to improve germination - this is a legume with a hard seed coat). Scatter seeds and press lightly into the soil, covering no more than 1/4 inch. Space seedlings 12-18 inches apart.

Starting Seeds Indoors
Scarify seeds first, then start 6-8 weeks before the last frost in a well-draining seed-starting mix. Sow 1/4 inch deep.

Stratification & Scarification
Cold stratification is not required, but scarification of the hard seed coat significantly improves germination.

Watering
Water sparingly. Once established, Creamy Milkvetch is very drought-tolerant and prefers dry conditions - avoid overwatering, which can cause root rot.

Maintenance
Low-maintenance; as a nitrogen-fixing legume it needs little to no fertilization.

Additional Notes
Native to the Great Plains (Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico). A good nectar source for native bees.