I saw a nice sized variegated hoya kerrii at the Metropolitan Plant Exchange right over the GW Bridge in Fort Lee this past weekend, but that was the only hoya I saw. You're probably better looking for Exotic Angel plants at Home Depot or Lowes.

I find young healthy cuttings or plants of the carnosa variety to be fairly quick growers, even compacta in some cases - I had one that grew like a weed. These are good "beginner" plants, but I wouldn't think any of them would like to be kept too moist. I water my all my hoyas the day they feel dry to me at least an inch or so down into the soil. Check them frequently so they are not dry for too long. It is something you will get a feel for, once you get to know your plants. Have fun, you have an interesting mix and try not to worry about them, just give them a brightly lit spot (but no burning sun) and a little attention and they'll be fine!

I've ordered a lot from cowboyflowerman and have always been pleased. I just wanted to pop in to say that the carnosa "tri-color" that I got from him was a gorgeous plant! It has the most vivid colors I have ever seen on a hoya-couldn't stop raving about it when I got it last year.

Susan

Thanks! I 'think' the shipment should be arriving today- can't wait!!!

All I had before this was a 'bella'- which I got about few weeks back. I was told they needed to be kept moist and not dried out like most other hoyas.

The bella gets very bright light and very very little direct afternoon sun. I noticed yesterday it's producing 3 flowering stalks/umbels/whatever they're called- so I guess I must be doing something right.

I know I'll probably end up killing at least a couple of these 7 new plants I'm getting but it's worth a try. Thanks ines- very reassuring to read your post. I thought perhaps I went a little over my head.

Susan- I can't wait to see what I'll receive.

I have also heard bella likes it wet, even to keep it in a saucer of water - yikes! Truth is, I treat ALL my plants, not just the hoyas, the same. Water when dry. THe key is, like I mentioned above, to check them all the time, so that when they do go dry, you find out on the same day and water them. Most people kill plants by overwatering, not underwatering, and the thicker leaves of hoyas I keep make them a little more tolerant to be dry short term.

PS - you won't kill your new plants, they are actually pretty tough and forgiving. It may take a short time for them to acclimate to your environment, but they will be fine. A place with morning or late afternoon sun would be fine, maybe a little more sun later on would be good, and don't water till necessary.

The whole 'over watering' thing has been drilled into my head so much in the last year or two by everyone, that now I have a severe under watering problem. LOL. My hibs are hating me- I find it very hard to increase my waterings in the summer. Arrghh.

So I got the plants yesterday and they are gorgeous- I love the foliage! They are in quaratine at the moment on a shelf- so will just get lots of bright light, but no direct sun.
In a week, I'll move them to their more permanent spots near windows and more direct sun.

Just a small update to this:

I ended up getting mealies on ALL 7 of the plants (other than the 'bella') I got from ebay. They were all kept close together...hence, I suppose.

After diligent care, I managed to save four of them but tossed out the two compactas and the 'picta' (exotica).

I just knew I couldn't find all the bugs in those and was probably a lost cause. Even though they didn't actually look too damaged. I've kind of learned the hard way now, never to buy compactas again. There's no way I can get mealies out from those crevasses.

The bella bloomed a few blooms in the summer. Many die off quite early though. It wasn't doing so well a few weeks earlier. It was shedding a lot of leaves. It was hung by a SE window and was getting hit by some good amount of light. So I moved it to the inside of the room where it's very bright but no direct sun. Also started watering a bit more. It's stopped shedding leaves and starting to grow again. It's now again trying to grow penduncles so let's see what happens.

I added a new one to my collection which you guys id-ed as 'tsangii'. Hopefully by end of this week, I can add a cpl more.

Hi Nota... Sorry to hear you lost some to mealies. They're hideous creatures. Watch that bella close - I quit growing bella because it was one of the worst mealy-magnets I grew. Just a couple FYIs... Once you have mealies, you have to be on guard forever. Just when I think I have them licked, I'll find one lurking somewhere. Check under pot rims as they tend to hide in such places. I inspect my plants every time I water, which is quite a chore, but worth the time. I used to resist using any sort of chemicals, but a year or two ago, I got some Bayer Tree & Shrub and water it in any plant I find with even a single mealy.

I really have to try and find that article I read several years ago about Hoyas and watering. I've mentioned it several times here when the "water when dry" theory is mentioned. Quite a few people seem to have great success with it, and my Hoyas did ok when I lived by that theory. But after I read the article about how people typcially keep Hoyas too dry, I started watering mine more and found they seemed more lush and I started getting more blooms. Interestingly, I was listening in on a conversation between a fellow C&S club member and Mike Massara of Out of Africa (a good source for excellent succulents)... He was even saying that people way under-water their succulents. I think that the "don't overwater" mantra is so ingrained in us that we get absolutely paranoid about watering. For anyone who might be interested in testing the theory of more vs. less watering, I suggest getting two small Hoyas, same species, and water one twice as much as the other and see what kind of results you get.

Denise in Omaha

I hate those mealy bugs, I found 3 yesterday on one of my plants! I just can't bring myself to use that Bayer though, I am more paranoid about chemicals than I am about bugs!

I am a water-when-dry person, but not a water-4-weeks-down the-road-when-bone-dry person. Probably when I water, the bottom few inches of soil in the pot are still holding a small amount of moisture. I agree with what you are saying, because I have a few older plants in small pots that dry out very quickly, and when I am really busy, like lately, they go longer than they should without water and certainly look the worse for it.

Actually, I would prefer to water more - which is why slowly but surely my hoyas are going into the orchid pots (with the holes) and the growing mix is getting chunkier.

Yup, I know for a fact I way under water all my plants. I've seen them turn lush right before my eyes once I start watering more frequently. Happened with my gardenias, jasmines...and with fertilizing too. I didn't do it regularly last yr but started to this yr- and what a difference it made.

Hoyas- I'm still very new to, so it will have to be trial and error for me. They don't grow as fast as some of my other tropicals do, so sometimes, I tend to forget about them.

Denise, I've read posts about bella being mealy magnets, which is why the first thing I did when I found mealies on the other ones, was check that.

None. Whew. It was the only hoya that was hanging by itself. The others were grouped in a container together.

I have been checking once or twice a week for more mealies but yet to find anymore. I did cave and use 'safers' but I just couldn't bear to let go of 7 hoyas and didn't want to risk my other plants getting them too.

They are now on my isolation shelf, which I believe actually suits their needs very well. So maybe they'll just have to stay there all winter.

I did find 2 mealies on my gardenia- wahhh!!!! I did a thorough check, cleaned with rubbing alcohol and sprayed with neem, so I hope that there aren't anymore. I have no clue how they got there coz the gardenia was never ever even on the same floor as the hoyas.

Luckily I don't have much else to do with my life than inspect my plants at every opportunity I get, so hopefully I will catch those buggers as soon as they pop up.