Hi Shiver,
I have only started to collect Hoyas the last 2 1/2 months and they are so addictive already I have over 50 different types,Most of all I just love the foliage and when mine deciede to flower it will be a great bonus.
what started me off was 3 months ago my grandmother died and I got a cutting off her hoya she had for over 40 years and once I got that I just had to have more hence the addiction.
My favorite ones would have to be the "indian rope" and "serpens" but even then I can't say they would be my most favorites cause I just love them all..I would love to send you pics but still I have no idea how to post a pic on this site.So till next time have fun collecting your Hoya and trust me you won't even look at another type plant once you start with Hoyas..Happy collecting Bye for now Karen... :)

Hi Shiver,

I don't want to take up a lot of room with pictures, but if you're interested to see some of my full plants you are more than welcome to email me, and I'll email you back with some pics. I don't want to email you through GW (not sure if you even allow that) because my emails never get through for some reason.

As for displaying hoyas, it depends on the hoya. Some I leave hanging, and others I put on a trellis. I guess I'm "most proud" of my multiflora and my carnosa 'Krimson Queen'. Multiflora because it just looks so beautiful (and is about 3 feet tall!) and carnosa because it was my first hoya and I just love its foliage.

Which foliage do I like best? Hmmm....probably pubicalyx 'Red Buttons'. I just love the dark red new growth and the leaf shape and also the bit of speckling. But I also LOVE my pachyclada...such thick leaves with nice veining.

Why did hoyas win my heart? Well, when I first bought a hoya, I had no clue it was a hoya, and I wasn't even into plants. But when it started growing I just fell in love with the waxy leaf texture. I didn't even know it could eventually bloom! When I found out that there were over 300 species of hoya, I was just so excited and needed to get more. Then I saw hoya flowers, and I was smitten. Right now I have 40 different kinds in a 1 bedroom apartment! And other plants too! I also have doubles of some (which are different clones or something, because they are SO different from each other), and I'm placing an order from David Liddle for another 12 or 13 cuttings! I'm WAY in over my head! Give it another few months and you will be out of control too :)

Karen, just wanted to let you know that the trade name on your above mentioned hoya is actually "hindu rope" (botanical name is H. compacta). I would love to see your serpens if you figure out how to post a pic...I just got one and I really hope it does well. I heard it was a tricky one.

Gabi

I also just started collecting hoyas a few months ago. My first was a Carnosa KP. I quickly added on regular carnosa as well as carnosa KQ. I recieve my others today which were serpens and darwinii (which I have been told is actually DS-70) I love them all but I really like the really tiny ones like serpens. They are just so cute. We also have lacunosa and bella but they are my moms so I cant claim them as part of my collection ;)

Hi all,
Oh thanks Gabi,I was unaware of its proper name.I'm not sure how to post a pic either but I would gladly send one to you,I can send a pic to your email (I will take a photo of it tomorrow and email it to you if you like?),it is only a baby at the moment but starting to grow well,I just got an order from David also and serpens was one of them.His plants are so healthy and now I will get all of mine from him.I just can't stop buying them,as soon as I see one I don't have I just have to buy it and I have even doubled up on some myself like the lacunosa,Royal Hawaiian,Cumingiana,minibelle and also I have the 3 types of hindu rope (boy arn't they addictive).

You said you have all yours in a one bedroom apartment,It must seem like a jungle? I have about 25 in my hot house and about 35 on the kitchen table because it's winter here and even in the hothouse it is getting a bit too cold at night to leave them out there so mine seem to be taking over the house and my family think I'm just crazy but hey I can't let my babies get cold now can I?
Anyhow just let me know what ones you would like to see and I will take some pics and email them to you (even though most of them are still baby ones...
Kind Regards to you all Karen......

Gabi, keep in mind that we are going to Asiatica in September, you ARE eventually going to run out of room and you significant other is going to say "It's me or it's them! Choose!" Don't worry....you can come live with me. As long as you bring the hoyas. And pay all the bills.

I saw my first hoya, a large hanging tricolor carnosa in full bloom, in 1983 in small privately owned greenhouse in Fort Worth Texas. It WAS love at first sight, everything about the plant appealed to me, not just the flowers - the vines, the thick leaves, the colors....I left TX for Florida with cuttings from that carnosa and a plain green one, I left the tricolor cuttings with my aunt in Florida ( I had yet to become selfish and greedy with hoyas ) and brought the plain green home to NJ. I was told it would never bloom outside of a greenhouse, but I didn't care, flowers or no flowers, I loved them. A few years later I found what I thought was another type of green carnosa in a nursery near here, and also a vareigated one, and for the next 10 or 15 years I dragged these plants- along with a dozen other kinds of plants- all over the eastern seaboard with me every time I moved. ( they travel well )

Sometime in the late 90's, to my shock and surprise, the plant I bought at the nursery and thought was a carnosa bloomed dark pink, so I realized it was not a carnosa....and then one Christmas, my mama bought me a computer, and that was the beginning of the end.

I too have about 40 plants right now, counting cuttings, but unlike SOME people around here, (you know who you are) I am a person with some self control and I buy only one or two at a time... (hee hee just kidding ...right now it is all about the money, I am in school and on a strict budget)

Plans for a future greenhouse are a must, because I have a want list that just topped out at about 150!

Now Ines...you KNOW the answer to that ultimatum - "I choose the plants, nice knowing you"...hehe

I forgot about Asiatica....oh well, I'll just have to sell some furniture. Truth is, I have a good amount of room at work to put some hoyas, and the lighting is great. So all my "overflow" will go there. But they might be moving me to a window-less office....I think it's time to find a new job!

Karen, if it's trouble, don't worry about sending the pic. But I always love to see other's pics, so if you'd like you can email whatever pics you want (but I'd love to see your serpens) to gabro14@hotmail.com. Don't use the email through here...it doesn't work too well. My apartment actually doesn't look like a jungle, believe it or not! I have a corner area in the living room that I'm allowed to load plants with, so they are all condensed instead of spread around. I also have a table in the bedroom with an extra "shelf" at the bottom, so I can fit lots of hoyas there. Then there are a few hanging ones. But I have some GREAT willpower, because the entire east wall of my apartment is all windows, and you'd think I would put hoyas in front of that whole wall....but I don't. Now THAT'S "self-control"!!!

P.S. Ines, I only bought 4 hoyas at Meadowbrook, and I blame 2 of those purchases on you! You are a BAD BAD influence ;)

Gabi

Thanks for sharing your stories...love to read them!

Gabi, I will be emailing you later so I can see some of your pics. If anyone else has pics they'd like to share, please feel free to post them on this thread. :) I love pictures!

My interest in hoyas began about two weeks ago when I was walking in a county park. I live in an area where the county is restoring our tall-grass prairies---if you have never seen a tall-grass prairie in full bloom, you don't know what you're missing. I'm talking fields FULL of hundreds of different flower colors, fragrances, birds, and grasses. These are as beautiful as any mountain range or beach I've seen. I've become smitten with these prairies and spend as much time out there as possible.

Two weeks ago I was hit with an enchanting fragrance while walking through one of these prairies. It was similiar to lilacs---a sweet, gentle perfum. I looked around and there were hundreds of milkweeds in bloom (I didn't even know those things bloomed, I had always thought they were just ugly weeds). Sure enough, it was the milkweeds with their round balls of lavender flowers that smelled so good. Looking closer I saw the milkweed's flowers were exactly like *hoya* flowers! After researching on the web I discovered that indeed, milkweeds and hoyas are related. Thus bloomed my intrest in hoyas...

Thanks for listening to *my* story...

Oh I love reading everyones stories. My DH introduced me to hoya's. He told me about the really cool hoya compacta.....I didnt have much of an interest at the time, but when I saw one, I got it for him. Well I came to really like the foliage, and then it bloomed.....and well it became mine.....lol. I find hoya's to be magnificent plants foliage and flowers. Since then I have gotten a hold on a KQ, KP, lacunosa, kentiana, and the regular carnosa. They arent widely available here in canada, and to order them online, I need the photosanitary certificate?? Which is close to $50, so when I do place an order I want it to be a big one, as to get my monies worth. I hang most of my hoyas, a couple smaller ones are in pots on the window sill.

I love the foliage of the hoyas I have....the white edges, the white centers, the shape, the succulence......I have come to appreciate everything about these plants. They are unique in the way they grow, and who can complain about the flowers.....lol. I have only seen my hoya compacta bloom, I am patiently waiting on the others, but they dont even have peduncles yet.....well my lacunosa did, but I mistook it for a bug and snipped it off......had to learn the hard way that they dont all look the same....lol.

So since my DH has introduced me to hoyas.....they have become my babies and are off limits to everyone!! No one is allowed to water, fertilize or even pick at them, they are opnly allowed to look.....lol.

I find it great when everyone shares their pics....especially since I dont have too many oppurtunities to see them up here. Walmart has them sometimes, but since they are Exotic Angel plants,they are limited in selection.

Thanks for sharing the stories, I love threads like this.....I dont know anyone who appreciates and collects hoyas like I do, so it nice to find a little community of people I can share my stories and concerns with.

Tracy

Tracy,

I just sent a bunch of pics to Shiver, so I can send pics to you also if you want...just use my email address that I posted above and let me know.

Gabi

I got my first Hoya from my boyfriend when I was 17 (he eventually became my husband...) It was a 'Krimson Queen' and it grew well for me. I loved the foliage. Then, in about 1978, I had subscribed to a plant magazine called Houseplants & Porch Gardens and they had an extensive article about Hoyas and I was enthralled! Of course, back then you couldn't just get online and order a bunch of plants. And getting plants through the mail was nothing like it is today - it wasn't nearly as fast, so they often showed up in awful condition. So for many years, all I had was that KQ and a plain green carnosa.

Well, that marriage didn't last, but the desire for more Hoyas was always there. I grow around 50 these days and have my favorites. DS-70 is an ever-bloomer for me and I love the coppery foliage. Pubicalyx 'Splash' (or 'Silver Pink' if you prefer...) is a favorite for so many reasons - gorgeous foliage, burgandy highly fragrant flowers that are absolutely intoxicating at night, and it's a vigorous grower. Macrophylla for it's knock-your-socks-off huge leaves. Lacunosa for the teeny tiny flowers that are powerfully scented. You'll find that you'll have many favorites for different reasons. That's what's so great about Hoyas - there are SO many different leaf shapes and sizes and colors that you can never get bored with them!

Congrats on your new obsession, Shiver. You can see most of my Hoyas on my pic site (2 albums) that I've linked below (so the dial-up folks don't get bogged down...)

Denise in Omaha

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pics

I'm 30 years into this "hoya thing" and only recently (maybe 2 years ago) found out there is more than just one type of hoya. Here is a picture of a 28+ year old hoya my sister has - it's a cut from my plant.
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Denise, how did you decide your wayetti is a wayetti and not kentiana? what are the differences?

Also, your incurvula flowers are different than brevialata, so it must really be incurvula...

You mentioned the diversity of hoyas, and that is the truth, you could have a whole houseful of hoyas of all different types, and no one but another hoya lover would know that they were all the same type of plant. Kinda makes it pointless to even have any other types of plants!

This hoya won my heart, mainly because I've had her the longest. I bought her from Glasshouseworks in Ohio(?), around '98 or '99 and she's called Hoya Australis Variegata. I'm the sentimental type....lol She hasn't bloomed for me since I moved to Orange County 3 years ago, but now I've noticed tiny buds on the only pendicle(sp?) she has! She's gonna bloom again for me! YIPEE!

Her flowers are Mauve in color, and smell like chocolate. I can't wait to share the pics with y'all!!

Tammy, true to their reputation, Glasshouseworks gave you a wrong ID. I believe you have a carnosa 'Krimson Queen' there. Australis flowers are white. Yours is the one that got me hooked in high school, so it's a good one!

Ines, I've wobbled back and forth between kentiana and wayetii for years, even had it down as kentiana ssp. wayetii for awhile. When talking about it, I call it kentiana because more people recognize it as that, but I came to the conclusion that it's wayetti because of Ted Green's website. First of all, he doesn't even mention kentiana. Second, his description of wayetii is on the money for what we call kentiana, and since he seems to be a top expert, I'll take his word for it. I have to fight the urge to obsess about getting the right name - "just enjoy growing the plants!" I keep telling myself!

Denise in Omaha

Ok...I finally made a "hoya album". If anyone cares to take a peek, the link is at the bottom (I hope it works). I love everyone's stories and pictures!
Gabi

Here is a link that might be useful: My hoya album

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and pictures. It is really helpful to see all your full plants (instead of just flowers) so I can start recognizing the different types of hoyas out there. You are much appreciated! :)

Gabi, thanks so much for the email containing all of your lovely plants. I think your idea of putting hoyas in candle holders is brilliant!

Denise, that is quite the photo album. Truly gorgeous.

This morning I was out on the tallgrass prairie trying to get pics of the milkweed blooms, but alas, they have already faded. If you're interested though, here are some pics of what the prairie looks like this time of year:
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I thought Tammys variegated australis was a carnosa too, but when she said it had mauve flowers, I thought maybe I was wrong, since that carnosa has the usual pink flowers....so Tammy, I get from what you said that it has bloomed for you, when you say "mauve" do you mean like a pale lavender or pink? Mauve to me is a darker color, kind of a medium pink, or lighter warm (reddish) purple. If the flowers are that dark, they must be beautiful.

Denise, you're kidding me! I have a Krimson Queen? I've been mislead all these years? I will take a look at Krimson Queen pics, if I can find them, and compare.

Ines, the flowers are a mauve color; it is the closest color I can describe. I will definitely put pics the second she blooms.

Do you think the Hoya Guru Chris Burton can positively ID my hoya?

Best, TammyPie

Hi again, Denise. The name of my Hoya is Australis Keysii Variegata; that is what Glasshouseworks sent me. I saw the Krimson Queen blooms and now I'm confused.

Tammy,

If you look up australis, including the variegated one, the flowers are white. I don't grow the variegated one myself (though I plan to get one someday!), yours certainly looks like 'Krimson Queen' to me, which I do grow. As for the "mauve" verses "pink" flowers, I find that some years my flowers look darker than other years as well as smelling stronger/weaker. I have a feeling there are factors, like fertlizers, sun intensity, watering frequency, that can cause these variances.

I'll be interested in seeing your flower pics.

Denise in Omaha

yes, the flower colors differ depending on environment, and on the plant, because I know of someone who has two krimson princess plants (from different sources) one blooms pale pink, the other a dark rose color. But I think Denise is right, and you will come to realize as you buy more plants, and see more plants for sale, that there are ALOT of mislabeled plants out there, even from the more respectable growers.

The real ID will be based on the flowers - and not just the color of them, australis flowers are different looking than carnosa flowers. Tammy, you may want to look at some flowers from both types of plants to see if your mauve flowers compare to carnosa or to australis. Look at the myhoyas or sitascorner sites, there are some good closeups there.

By the way, Shiver - what gorgeous pictures! I'd like to see the same pictures of those places but taken at different times of the year, winter, fall, etc...they would make a nice painting subject. You are lucky to have such a pretty area so close to you.

I just looked at the Glasshouse site, and they DO have a variegated australis pictured there, description of the flowers is "white with an underblush of pink or red" (meaning just a tinge)

The plant on their site is different from yours, Tammy. We don't need Chris Burton to tell us that! In my opinion, a grower should know the difference between an australis and a common carnosa, but it is possible an employee stuck the wrong plant in the wrong area becuase of not knowing the difference or not looking at it closely enough.

so, you have a carnosa tricolor, and if I were you I would let them know they sent you the wrong plant, if for no other reason than you probably overpaid for it. They may not do anything or even respond, but I would still let them know - they may send you the right one just to make you a happy customer. (not likely but you never know!)

Oh my goodness... Gabi I looove your serpens. My little guy is like a quarter that size right now but I really hope he grows big and happy like yours. Do you treat your any different then the rest of your Hoyas? I got mine from Tom and he says he treats his exactly like the rest.

Kookie,
Thanks...but that's one of the few hoyas I have that I can actually take credit for! I just got that about a week ago from a great greenhouse/nursery/farm (Meadowbrook Farm), and it is just covered with peduncles. I got it at a STEAL for such a huge and full plant (25 buckaroos).
So we'll see how well it does in MY care :)
I've heard it can be a tricky one, but the consensus seems to be that it likes to stay more moist than "the rest". I'm thinking kinda like lacunosa and multiflora. So I'll be keeping it on the moist side (not wet, but I just won't let it completely dry out). Also, I have heard (and read) that it likes colder temperatures, so I have been keeping it inside rather than outside.
So far so good!!
Thanks, and much luck with yours :)

Shiver,
Nice pics!

Gabi

Hi ines,

My hoya in question definitely has carnosa-looking flowers, NOT like Australis - I have that plant too and I've seen its blooms and know it's different. But at the time I bought it I didn't know anything about hoyas.

I plan on calling glasshouseworks to let them know about the mislabeling. In any regard, I love her just the same and I'll be sure to post the blooms here. They're awesome!

TammyPie

I'll bet the flowers are awesome! Most of my carnosa's flowers are that real pale pink color, one of them is lavender, but I have seen pictures of plants with the darker flowers (another thing that can but is not always due to environment) and someone just sent me cuttings of a variegated carnosa that gets the deeper rose colored flowers. Hopefully I won't be half blind from old age by the time that cutting blooms!

Oops..I meant to say "I can't" take credit for the serpens, not "I can".

I am still waiting on my carnosa KQ to bloom. That was my very first hoya, and I search it on a weekly basis for any signs of a peduncle. My motoskei has bloomed for me (which is said to be the "true carnosa"), but you know when there is just ONE hoya you have that you would just jump up and down like a kid if it bloomed for you?? That's how I feel about my KQ.

Tammypie, looking forward to seeing those blooms!

Gabi

Gabi, the buds are growing quickly, they should be in bloom in 2 to 3 weeks - hopefully. I can't wait, I haven't seen her bloom in more than 3 years.

Gabi, it looks like alot of your plants are ready for the little 5 inch hanging baskets. That kentiana is awesome...

so whats with all the vampire books? Is there something we don't know about you?

Haha....you caught me. Plant lover by day, vampire by night. Well, if I was really a vampire I wouldn't have been able to go to Meadowbrook during the day, right? Yes, I'm a devoted vampire fan....and I LOVE vampire books.

I definitely need to up the size of some of my pots, but you know how much I love keeping my hoyas rootbound.

I like vampire stuff too, most ghost stories as well, especially real old ones. I read some Anne Rice, but I felt that she could never top The Vampire Lestat, and I really didn't read much of her stuff past that one. One of my favorite vampire stories is "Carmilla" - not really a short story, more like a novella, written by Sheridan LeFanu. The story centered around a female vampire and her female victim, which I think caused a bit of a scandal in it's time. The author died in 1873, so the story must have been written before Dracula.

...sorry all, vampires and hoyas do not mix....though actually some hoyas only have a strong scent AT NIGHT and might even be pollinated by moths and SMALL BATS...so maybe there IS a connection between vampires and hoyas....

Those little white hanging pots are great, though - only 5" and that isn't so much bigger than what you are using now...and they are great "trainers" for little plants that aren't ready for the "big" 6" baskets. I am all out of them, I have one left, I need to order some but I would like to try to find them in dark green.

I actually have the book Carmilla (The Return), by Kyle Marffin...same story as the one by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - it was written in 1998, so it's more "updated". You can actually see it in that carnosa pic, hidden by a small looped vine. It's the black book on the top shelf next to the gold Anne Rice book. I agree, Lestat was one of her best vampire books. I've read all her books, even the non-vampire ones..they are all amazing. I went to one of her book signing's...she's an interesting person! Ok everyone, sorry to get so OT!

Those white hanging pots you are talking about - are you sure they are 5"? I thought they were 4". Eddie has a bunch of his hoyas in those, and his are 4" pots (I think?). Maybe they come in both sizes. Either way, I really like those pots....they're really cute. I'll eventually get some when I have room for more hanging pots.

Thanks Gabi for the beautiful collection. All you plant are adorable.
Michel

Gabi, the white pots are 5" across from lip to lip, and just over 4" deep.

I will have to look for the modern "Carmilla" - never heard about it.

OK, just in case I didn' send this pic before, here it is. Is this a Krimson Queen? Sorry if I repeat myself, just wondering. Thanks! TammyPie

Tammy,

Yes, that defiitely looks like a carnosa flower to me. (And nothing like australis...) Glad to see you got her to bloom again!

Denise in Omaha