Hi Klea,

Boy i'm glad that I don't live in Norway because yes it is too early to even mention the (F) word. The (F) word in this case being frost!!!!

This past winter was so mild for us that I really never got to use the gh heat (well I did but very little)Normally I have to heat between 3 1/2 to 4 months this past winter from November til March I bet the heater didn't come on 12 times and a lot of days in January and February which are usually our coldest months,the gh door stayed open day and night.

Spring was nice and mild and summer was nice and HOT & humid!!! It has also been quite dry here. Something has certainly disrupted the weather system all around the world. Typically this time of year (June - August) we can cont on a daily thunderstorm like clockwork. The past few years that has not been the case. It's been so hot and dry that even the grass is dead. We had brief periods of rain but not much. The past couple of weeks though the rain doesn't seem to want to stop. Over the past 14 days we've probably had 5-6 without rain,it's pouring outside right now and is supposed to rain tonight,tomorrow and Thursday. Clearing up Friday and then by Monday,rain again.

No sign of any cold weather in my neck of the woods though!!!! We can get frost here in late October but that doesn't happen often. Usually we get it wither mid or late November. I begin moving my hoyas back into the gh ( doors still open and sides rolled up) in September though so they can become acclimated to being back inside. I found that if I wait till the last minute to move them back in (when the weather man mentions the F word)and then close the gh up they tend to put,turn yellow and drop lots of leaves.

My plants are outside right now under the shade house and have been since about mid April. If the rain doesn't soon stop though I will have no choice but to go ahead and start moving them back inside early as they are staying way too wet lately. I am SOOO not looking forward to having to move 500 hoyas back inside before I absolutely have to!!!!!

david

In Philly, it's in the high 60s at night. We should be good for another month or so.

I am hoping your frost means we will have a regular winter this year! I hate all the mosquitoes that didn't die off and now make a meal of me...>_

Hi David,

I'm hoping this was just an early "frost-scare", it's too early for regular frost nights, even here in the north. But the hoyas have to come inside, one frost night is one too many for a hoya! Autumn is here and so are the chilly nights. :) Like you're saying there must be something disrupting the weather system, because the last couple of summers have really been very very wet! I'm glad I don't have 500(!) hoyas to bring inside like you have! You must have a strong back, and a very large greenhouse!! lol It's really interesting to read about how other people grow their hoyas in another part of the world. We all live in different locations, with different climate and growing conditions - yet we're all in love with hoyas! :)

goddess9; High 60s sounds good. I've been lucky if the _daytime_ temp have been in the high 60s this summer. lol! :) Those moskitoes doesn't sound very nice, though. I'm hoping you'll have a regular winter so they'll die off!!

I am in the Midwest as in Wisconsin. We had one cool night but went back to the mid to low sixties. I do not have even half as much as David does and oosch my back to carry them out. Wow David that is work! But the pix are lovely to see always. Since my husband insists on berry bushes and nut trees we have too much pesky nature, squirrel, rabbit and chipmunks. They dig, chew up everything, and climb too. So that is out for me but a few succulents. The benefit is that we have an albino squirrel and that is odd to see. My Father teases if I am not careful I will draw crowds like those that come to see a white buffalo! Haha! I do think it is coming early as my basement starts giving off an earthy smell, telltale sign for me.
~ Mary

In my neck of the woods, Central Virginia, its still in the high 60s to low 70s at night. I will start moving my clan inside about the end of September or 1st of October.

Susan

emt23: That is so cool! An albino squirrel! Do you have a picture of it? I have squirrels in my back yard too, they come in search of the bird feeder. lol They don't bother my plants, though, because I keep all my hoyas on the porch, which is partially buildt in.

scsva: Do you have a greenhouse, like David, or do you bring your hoyas indoors in the winter? You have a lot of hoyas, don't you, or is my memory failing me? :) I only keep a small number of hoyas outside in summer, because that makes it so much easier to move them back in when autumn comes around. lol And besides, night temps can even in the summer easily dip below 10 *C in my area, so only the cool growers can be kept outside.

We are trying to get a digital, it is an elusive little beggar. I can post when I get one more than a tail in the bushes!

Klea,

knock on wood I am not having any back problems to speak of yet!!!! I'm 5ft 9 inches tall and weigh in at a whopping 165 lbs (SKINNY) and I turned 45 on the 19th of June so i'm still fairly young and healthy (other than being diabetic). So for me moving the hoyas back inside is a JOB (usually takes about 3 days)but I love my hoyas so I don't really mind doing it.

The hardest part is getting and keeping each plant unwound from around it's neighbor!!!! I am outside working with the hoyas almost every single day and at least once a week I try to unwind vines to keep everyone to themself. I do this even in the gh during the winter also as some of the hoyas continue to grow throughout the cold season.

My gh is 18ft wide X 10ft high X 56ft long I could have gone the extra 4 ft and made it a full 60ft but there's a grape arbor behind it and I wanted to leave enough room for me to walk between the two and be able to mow grass.

OMG, David, that is a HUGE greenhouse!! Got to say it - I'm a bit jealous. lol I don't think I would have the determination to keep up with all that work, trying to unwind that many overly friendly hoyas from each other's grasp. You have 500 of them after all! :)

Mary; Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll get a picture of it one day. It sure would be cool to see that squirrel!

Klea,

Yes I really do have (almost) 500 of them !!! The exact count is 483 and I have 3 outstanding shipments and 1 trade due to arrive anytime now totaling another 45 cuttings/plants. Would you believe that on top of taking care of all of these hoyas I also work 10 hours a day ???

My complete list was listed on my (MY PAGE) here on the forum but needed so much updating that I just deleted the entire list. When I can find the time to sit down and get it all entered again i'll repost it to my page.

I've been collecting hoyas now for about 12 years and don't seen an end to it anytime in the near future UNLESS the Mayan calendar actually happens to be right!!!! Let's all hope that it's not!

Klea:
I have accumulated a lot of hoyas since Spring of this year and my son in law has now converted a spare room in my house for my plants. It has 2 windows so will have to get T-5 lights for extra lighting but he has really done a great job with shelving etc. I not only have hoyas but dracaenas, sanseviera, succulents (suddenly a new obsession)and a few foliage plants.

Susan

Wow, David you really have your hands full, don't you? 500 hoyas and a 10 hour day at work! I'm impressed! I'm guessing the Mayan calendar won't affect our life in any noticable way, lol, so your hoya collection will probably only get bigger and bigger. :) I'm looking forward to see pictures of the new arrivals.

Susan: Isn't it funny how one plant addiction can lead us into even more plant addictions? Haha... I'm lucky to have lots of windows in my house, so I haven't had the need for artificial lights yet... but I will need it soon, or I will have to get rid of every non-hoya plant taking up window space.

Today there's such lovely weather here - blue sky and the sun is shining. A clear and cloud free sky means a chilly night, so I'm glad I moved my hoyas back inside! :)

Susan? Can I have your son in law? Sounds like you have the beginning of a very nice set up!

David, gardening is ideal for your diabetes. I read the dLife newsletter every day. Don't worry you just have a bad pancreas and it needs more care than most others have to do. XO

Klea it sounds like you have that sixth sense about weather changes.

~ Mary

Yes, this is a new son in law also so he is a keeper. He's really done a good job. Next the room will be painted white and the lights will go up.