Congratulations :)
I'm not sure if you posted a pic of the hoya cause I can't see pics from my work computer....so I have no idea what hoya you have - but I'll try to answer questions 2-4 as best as I can.

1. Bud blast can pretty much happen at any stage of bud growth. In my experience though, I have had more buds blast early on...there were only a couple of times when I had buds blast when they were very close to opening.

2. I don't know what type of hoya you have, so it would be impossible to answer this question. In other words, H. lacunosa flowers are very short lived (a few days), while H. multiflora flowers last a VERY long time (weeks). If you know the ID of your hoya, then try going to myhoyas.com - Christina has great descriptions of the flowers of each hoya species and she also usually includes how long they typically last.

3. Again, it would depend on what hoya you have. Some like warm temps and some like cooler temps. A great site for getting temperature info for each species is hoyor.net

4. Some hoyas branch out when you cut the stems and some don't. In general though, I don't think that pinching the ends off will promote new growth. But this is something I don't know much about...I'm sure someone will have a better answer. If you want a fuller plant, you can cut the stems and put them back in the pot to create a fuller look. But I'd be really careful about cutting because you don't want to cut a part of the stem that has a peduncle on it. You also might want to wait until it's finished blooming before you start messing with it!

I would NOT move the hoya from the GH to your house yet just to appreciate the flowers, because you'd be taking a big risk of the buds blasting.....and then you'd have no flowers to appreciate!

Good luck and be sure to post pics of the flowers!!
Gabi

Oops! I got totally carried away in my excitement and didn't say which type I have, thanks for prompting me...it's a Hoya Carnosa, Krimson Queen that was ID'd on here earlier this season. Yes, there should be a pic there, hope you can all see it, I can!
Thanks also Gabi for those links. Will post a pic of the flowers soon, fingers crossed.
Thanks, Gill.

Gill,
I'm sure your picture is there...it's just my stupid work computer that doesn't let me see pics!

I just looked at the plant guide on Dave's Garden, and this is what it says regarding hardiness for H. carnosa KQ:
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

As for the life of KQ's flowers, I would assume it is similar to any carnosa. I have a KP (H. carnosa Krimson Princess) in bloom now for the first time, so I don't know how long they will last. But my H. motoskei (which is known as the "true carnosa") has blooms that last quite a while...mine just opened its blooms on September 10th and they JUST fell off this morning...so they lasted 2 weeks!

Hope that info helps :)
Gabi

I bought a very large one of these this summer, in bloom, so it was moved out of a greenhouse and into my backyard and it is still blooming, so you never know. Why take a chance though? You could enjoy it for a while where it is, at least until you get to see a few flowers, and then maybe move it indoors later.

I never counted the days, but flowers on this one seem to last at least a week, probably longer, maybe even the two weeks like Gabi's. Judging by my plant, the flowers are the least scented of the carnosas.

The vines are where the flowers will come from, so I wouldn't pinch. If you don't like the look of the vines or if you feel the plant is not full enough up in the pot, you could take a vine or two and make them into cuttings that you can root along side the rest of the plant. Or you can take a few of the vines and wrap/weave them up around the pot foliage. Usually though, you will get new stems branching from the base of the plant and the pot will eventually fill itself out. Personally, I like the look of all the hanging vines, it is so hoya-ish. And as they get older, the leaves on them will grow and fill out, they won't look as skimpy as they do at first.

I hope your buds don't blast!

Thanks for the replies folks, much appreciated. As I've mentioned, this plant is totally new to me so I need as much help as possible in order to succeed with it!
Am amazed at the different varieties I found on a Hoya site whilst digging around for info on here, the flowers are almost 'unreal' in some types. As a consequence, I am now 'watching' some on eBayUK!! So I may be back with more ??'s!
I was a bit concerned about the vines as the spaces between the nodes seems rather large, but assume this is normal? Wouldn't have thought they looked strong enough to use as propagating material (but as you said, they will progress given time) as my original cutting was a bushy little stem of a couple of inches...guess it was from one of the basal shoots?
Regarding hardiness... we don't tend to use zoning here in the UK as much as my US pals refer to them, but net. info tells me we are in 8b in my particular area, not exactly tropical is it? (shivering) So I will keep an eye on the forecast and get the g/h heater dusted off and installed...just in case.
Ok, thanks again, Gill.

Here is a link that might be useful: the hoya site I mentioned

Gill,

Just figure you should bring your Hoyas in if it falls below 50 F. (Not sure how that translates to centigrade...) They can take temps lower - down to nearly freezing - but I try to always err on the side of caution.

When I see a new vine, I watch for peduncles forming. If one doesn't form, I sometimes snip the vine off. They can get a little wild... The pubicalyx in my GH is always trying to grow into the plants next to it (I have a row of hanging Hoyas and it hangs in the middle of the row as the biggest one...) I go on a clipping binge once in awhile. You're right about new growth - it doesn't root well. If you want to make cuttings, use medium-aged stems, ones that aren't too soft and aren't too woody. So if you wait for a new vine to get a stiff feel, it's a good time to root it. By then, the vine usually has some leaves on it...

On the other hand, I have another pubicalyx that hangs in my dining room. It just wants to grow up and up and up... When the vines reach the ceiling, I clip them with no regard for peduncles. I don't like the look of a plant that's crawling all over the ceiling. This has forced lots of new growth lower (which, of course, then proceeds to grow up and up and up, again!), but it's filled out beautifully and looks amazing. Here's a pic (and keep in mind this is my "baby" pubicalyx!)
{{gwi:938501}}

Denise in Omaha

...thanks Denise and others...spied another tiny peduncle on vine No3 yesterday, so I definately won't go a snippin' just yet! Can't wait for the flowers to mature, am realy hopefull I should get to see some quite soon. Thanks for your patience with my queeries.
Cheers, Gill.

Hey Gill

Hope your KQ is getting on well and the buds are looking ready to open - you should post a pic when it does!
I agree with everyone else, but I would like to add, I would not reccommend cutting plants at this time of year here. This is just my opinion of course, cos I can't get them to root. Also, as others have said, cutting when the plant is in bud can make it sulk.
As for hardiness - carnosa and its varieties can take it quite cold (down to 5 centigrade, min). if it survived last year it'll probably make it this year too. However, it does depend on the temperature in the greenhouse, if it gets to freezing I'd have the plant inside. I got all my hoyas through what was some of the coldest weather with no central heating for two weeks last year!
As for Ebay UK, I would reccomend jiffybrian and epricsticting (sp?) - Brian's a great bloke and his plants have done very well for me, and Epric (sorry, can't remember his real name) sells plants as "small" and they turn up HUGE!!! Let me know if you have any good/bad experiences with any of the other sellers - I am curious!

Hill's, I posted a reply yesterday, but it ain't here! Where did I post it to...answers on a postcard pease! Was sure it was there when I checked back.
Will be more than pleased to post pic as and when. I will definately keep the secateurs in the drawer for a while I can assure you, and let you know if I get lucky with eBay.
Cheers, Gill.