Hoyas
are becoming more and more popular each and every day. Over the past years
we have collected over 100 species of Hoyas and there are probably over 200
species out there. Hoyas are tropical vines that grow better if kept above
50° F, even though some species can tolerate near freezing temperatures
for a while. They grow in the shade / filtered light and don't need a lot
of water. Keep the soil slightly dry, wet soils can kill a Hoya fast. Hoyas
are very good indoors and are very popular for that reason. They don't like
big pots and bloom better when root bound. Some people grow them in hanging
baskets and let them cascade, others use a small trellis to wrap the vines
around. Hoyas are epiphytes, like orchids, therefore the potting soil has
to be porous. I suggest that you get a good quality potting soil and mix about
1/3 of an orchid mix (bark, perlite, charcoal.) Fertilization is average.
Once Hoyas start to bloom, they do so almost continuously, but more during
the warm weather. Some Hoyas are also very fragrant
and some species even smell like chocolate or peanut
butter! Not only are they fragrant and easy to grow, but most of them
have really cool looking flowers! They
are nicknamed "Wax Flowers" because the flowers don't even look
real. They
also have really neat leaves. Some have heart-shaped leaves (The
Hoya kerrii's),
a lot of them have variegated leaves, twisted
leaves, fuzzy leaves, and one even resembles
a fishtail (Hoya polyneura 'Fishtail'). This
is most definitely a type of plant you should add to your collection!!