That's funny you post this b/c I just recently got 2 new hoyas. Obovata and Australis. I posted pics of them on here called my new additions I think. I had requested they be delivered to work then I could just put them in the trunk of my car and my husband gets home from work before I do. Then I could just plant them and put them in a pot he's seen before and as you mention blend them in with my other plants. I ended up getting one delivered to work (during the week) was worried about the other one in shipping b/c it was friday and hadn't received it yet, our mail comes at 3 or so in the afternoon and ended up they mailed it to my house on Saturday. Thank goodness my husband happend to be working away from the house when the mail lady pulled up. I am bad, huh.
Shanna

lol!!! yuupp mine is hiding right now in plain view as long as I don't mention it he won't notice it, and if he does I just say yeah isn't it beautiful I traded with some one on GW all I paid is shipping:) :) like my garandma tells me he doesn't have to know everything!!!

Yes, That is a great idea, telling him you traded with someone on here. I may have to trade with someone a time or two though before I use that one. Ha!Ha! I guess I should have realized I wasn't the only one that has to sneak plants into their house. My brother in law lives with us and he told me he counted my plants and then my husband chimed in and said so then we know if you have snuck any in. It shocked me when he said that, it was funny though.
shanna

I have "trained" my S.O. to turn a blind eye. There are so many different ways to trick them! I just sneak a plant in here and there, and she never notices. Basically, as long as I stick to my "hoya areas" and don't fill up the whole place with hoyas everywhere, she doesn't care anymore. She has succumbed to the power of the hoya! It just has to be a trade-off...buy them a video game system (or beer!) and they'll let you have a few hoyas. And once they are playing their video games (or getting drunk on the beer), slip in your hoyas! Easy Breezy!

Gabi

Gabi -
But I have a problem. I enjoy and drink more beer than my husband so I can't bribe him with that, I will have to come up with something. He did tell me the other day that I need to stop buying things I dont' need like plants and buy stuff I do need like clothes, belt, etc. He did say, plants are nice and all but...... (I was glad he chimed that in about the plants though).
Shanna

Haha! Well then, you just need to tell him that you DO need plants! Tell him it is a hobby that makes you happy, and if you don't maintain your hoya hobby, you will become a VERY difficult person to be around - that'll scare him good!

Gabi

None of my plants ever make it into the house without being shifted to about fifteen places. I haven't had many new plants lately, I usually buy mail order paid for with a m/o now and claim they were trades, it works for me :)

Yea, that's a great idea.

Thanks everyone, I had a good laugh at everyone elses similar circumstances. Some good ideas too!

Nikki - That's what I'm hoping out-of-sight, out-of-mind. I've tried it with clothes too, sometimes it works and sometimes try harder next time.

Mentha - I usually pay by M.O too, just ATM the money out and get groceries the same day, so he does'nt really know what money went where.

Gabi - I totally like the beer idea, and "but plants make me happy" they really do :):):) I'm trying to start my own little private jungle and I just don't think he understands that quite yet. I'm still trying to convince him about Logee's this weekend. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Shanna - Maybe you and I can be "trading buddies" just to have a name :) I feel kinda guilty lying but hey, he's done it plenty of times!

Cheers to the "hoyas in hiding"!
-Nicole-

Nicole - Sounds good to me. I also feel bad but my addiction takes over the guilt. How bad am I???
Shanna

My Hoya addictions gotten really bad so in order to support my bad habits I started selling some of the hoyas on eBay. My DH thinks that I am buying more plants to sell on eBay so they are in plain site. My collection accumulated to nearly 70 so now he knows I am not selling all of them, when I get new ones now I said I got them in a GW trade. He gets upset some times on a windy day dirt gets into the pool from my plants. I just say there are a lot of feathers in the pool too from our parrots. Ha ha
Once in awhile he say you got lot of plants. I just smile and say yes I do have lot of nice plants.

I have about ten new plants hidden in my bedroom right at this moment. The number almost doubles if you count
everything in the pot of mixed cacti I just did for myself and the 3 jades that I split from a communal pot.

I rent a room and at first the people I live with, who own the house, thought my plant obsession was cute (and good for the decor) until I took up all the window space in their den (which wasn't much!) and installed two grow-lights.

When I took over their garden outside, they thought it was great.
When I started over 30 gladiolus bulbs in their basement, pruned their monster lilacs, and tried to give them advise on how to grow better tomatoes they started to get a little squirmy.

When they found out I had ordered hoyas from David Liddle in Australia, they thought I was insane. And when those same hoyas arrived and they found me capering rapturously around a box of sad twigs, like an elf that had gotten into the pixy dust again, I am surprised that they didn't have me committed.

They are good friends of my family so they take it really well but they have "hinted" that no more new plants would be appreciated.
I have fooled them a few times with the old "hide and seek" method described by you cunning people above.
But now that I have my grow-light/humidifier set up in my bedroom, I have quickly started turning it into a mini greenhouse.
Out of site out of mind; right?
Hehehe!
Again; we are pretty much family so I can get away with it like the rest of you manage to do with your S.O.s.
Deep down inside they accept the fact that I am a plant nut and take it in stride.
Hey! It's who I am!
Besides...what's a few more plants..really!

Here is a pic of my hidden acquisitions. The jades and the scheff are about the only "approved" plants in the pic:

See, it isn't much at all!

Great to know there are other people out there who need to be sneaky.
Take care everyone.
Happy hiding!
BlackWyld

My boyfriend, whenever we have an argument about my new place, ALWAYS brings in complaints about the number of plants I have. When I moved in we agreed I could have the left hand side of the fireplace if he could have the right hand side of the fireplace. Apparently this isn't good enough because the plants are "messy"... anyway, I could rant like this for ages. He even counted them the other day, and said there were 50. Even I didn't think there were that many. I promised I wouldn't buy any more (I haven't, so far) but he's still going on about the poor plants in the corner. They're my babies...

This is the funniest thread I have read in a while. I have been cracking up with my morning joe over what us addicts will do to maintain our obsessions. Ha. I especially loved picturing Blackwyld hovering "rapturously around a box of sad twigs, like an elf that had gotten into the pixy dust again"
I do all of the above similar things to keep the family from thinking I lost my marbles. I can SO relate to your capers. Ha
New problem this year....he retired. Eee Yad...now he's around all the time. He likes plants though so that helps. However, he must never find out what I spend on these things, so it is now much more difficult to hide. Ha. However...where there is hoya addiction...there will always be a way.
Marcy

I feel out of place posting here, I am a complete plant junkie and have been for most of my life. I don't have to hide any of my purchases, although my DH is not a plant person he even brings home the odd plant for me especially if it is something unusual, he never complains about my addiction to them, he even knows the names of some of them. I guess that's one of the reasons I've stayed married to the (no you can't have him) same man for 50 years ;).

A......

Thanks for rubbin' it in, AM!!! You might have found the perfect man :)
I'll test Sam every now and then, and she can actually name a few of my hoyas too! She even gets excited when she finds a peduncle - I'm just thrilled that she knows what a peduncle is!

...and this is why I live alone!

These stories are hilarious!

BlackWyld, are you using a kick-boxing bag for a plant stand?! What a unique use for it! I've been wondering what to do with mine since I haven't been using it for anything else. Great idea!

Kelly

Yes AM, I think you are the luckest plant lover. I couldn't imagine if I wasn't limited on my addiction by my husband. I honestly think I might be wearing the same clothes for 10 years and my house would be a jungle. Although my husband already says it is.

Hills
So your plants have been counted too? Bad news. I hope he doesn't notice the 5 I bought today......

Gabi
Cool to hear sam knows the names of some of your plants. Mine likes them ok but hopefully when they bloom he will understand my addiction.
Shanna

LOL...funny - I probably don't *have* to hide mine.....but I do it anyway. (Ã)
(Gotta let him *think* I'm frugal)

It's pretty easy to do, too, with all the plants in our house!

OMG Gabi, the fact that your S.O. can actually NAME your plants is CRAZY LUCKY!!! When I start talking about my plants everyone's eyes glaze over and they turn into zombies---unable to do anything but grunt until the subject is changed.

I admit I have sometimes hidden a new plant---but feel kind of bad about doing it. I just don't know anyone else in real life who is as fascinated by plants and botany as I am. I swear they all think I have a screw loose. Considering I used to be a psych RN, I will go ahead and lable myself as *completely sane*----THEY are the ones with mental problems! ;)

Funny shiver.... I showed my husband some new leave that have started coming out of my carnosa which I have had since August maybe and no nothing until these new leaves started coming out and I am very excited. I did find one pedunicle on it when I purchased it but no signs of blooming. And my hubby's response was yea it's a plant it's suppose to grow or "do that". Can't remember what exactly he said, one of the two. I said "nevermind". I also noticed a bloom starting on my lacunosa and showed him and he said "yep" and that was it. So I am glad we plant people have a forum like this so we can share all our excitements with other plant people.

Gabi, Sam sounds like a keeper in my books :o).

Shanna, you aren't wearing the same clothes 10 years later? I guess you aren't as addicted as I am LOL.

My house has been de-jungle-ized since DH bought me an 8 1/2 x 14 1/2' B.C. Greenhouse. I can barely move in there since putting all the tender stuff in for the winter. These plus my couple of hundred Fuchsias that are moved in for the winter leaves me no room to breathe never mind move. Hmmmm, looks like the house is about to become jungle-ized once again. I've got windows that my Hoya's are just going to love. I guess I'm going to have to go and root out all my hanging brackets that are packed away. Yeah you guessed it I'm also a pack-rat.

Just read about propagation in Stemma, very informative thanks for sending it to me Gabi, great articles.

A......

And here I thought I was the only 'hider' here :). I carry a large handbag, and if the plant is small enough, it goes in there. Otherwise, I hide the plants in the shrubs outside.(notice the plural)(if you're going to sneak them in, it should be more than one, right?) I wait until hubby is in bed, and then walk the dog and bring them in. If he questions me, I just say "Oh, they're cuttings from the bigger plants." What we won't do for our addiction!

I love it! This is truly support!!
Aftermidnight - I was thinking exactly what everyone else said, "that you are one of the lucky ones" you should soak it up for everything possible :)

Gabi - You too are a lucky one, even if it is to surrendering, it's all good on your end :)

Shiver - I can totally relate, when talking to people about plants and getting "the zombie look", I find myself getting more and more excited, than I think "why aren't they as excited as I am??"

Shanna - I can also relate to you. My husband "would" do the SAME exact thing, "yup", "aha", than I said even if your not excited can't you at least pretend for my sake?? Now when I'm excited and I show him something he says "WOW", "COOL", of course sarcasticly but hey the tone sounds better than "aha".

On a slightly better note: One of the reasons I had started this post was because I gave in and ordered 3 plants, than after the fact thought how the heck am I going to sneak these in?? I had also been trying really hard to go to Logee's. Well somehow he gave in, and off I went to Logee's (I went by myself :):):)!!!!!!) He knows I got plants but not how many, now all if have to do is keep my new acquisitions in a bunch on the table and wait for my order to come in.... than disperse them through the house. I'm soo happy sometimes things work out.

To everyone - Keep on truckin :) Whew, that was a long one
-Nicole-

I once was with a guy who when we first moved in together told me I could only keep 5 items in the shower. Now like alot of women, I average about 25 - you know how it is, shampoo for dry hair days, shampoo for normal hair days, 6 different types of conditioner, 4 types of shower gel, shaving cream, facial cleanser etc etc....Anyway, I really was crazy about this guy so I figured paring down my shower beauty routine was a small compromise to make for true love.
Still, I am the kind of person who likes to test limits, and I took the 5 item rule to mean just keep the items in there to a minimum, I mean, is it really a big deal if I have SIX items in the shower? At first it was funny in the morning, when he took his shower, hearing various bottles (anything over the allowed count) hit the bathroom floor with a thonk as he tossed them over the shower curtain. But after a while it became not so cute....I'd picture him in there counting my shampoo bottles and think
"What an @$$#0(% !!"

And this control thing he had carried into other areas as well. I swore once I got this man out of my life that I would never be with anyone like that again, that it was nuts to have to hide things from someone! Probably because he was SO controlling, I am VERY sensitive about it.

Unless your plants are A) endangering someones life or B.) your are spending the mortgage and food money on them, then who cares??? Of course, the ambiance of your home when you share it with someone else is always an issue...plants look nice, but too many plants looks sloppy. If you keep buying plants you have no room for, then I could see that being a valid complaint for the person who shares your living space. Kind of like your significant other wanting to park his 6 four wheelers in the middle of the living room.

But I couldn't abide ever again a relationship with someone that I had to hide my purchases from! Love me love my plants...and my cats, and my books, and my 25 bottles of shampoo!

Ines -

I'm thinking we may have dated the same guy! Totally with you on the shampoo's and conditioners, and not knowing if you may want to exfoliate or use the extra conditioning bath wash, either the one that smells like coconut or fresh mangos, isn't it easier to just keep them ALL in the shower?
And truly do a couple of cat hairs here and there really matter? I seem to be a magnet for that proto-type! Argh!

My pets, plants and yarn stay NO matter what; however, one could take most anything else without me noticing.

Speaking of hoya purchases, I have 5 cuttings on the way! Woo Hoo!

Kelly

Been there, done that. I always hide mine behind other hoyas. I've let up on buying any more hoyas, just nuturing the ones I got and trying to save one from scale, but Hubby hasn't complained yet, and he better not!

Years ago I used to have the same problem. Now I have 100's of plants, every window is loaded. When Fall arrives I get a sneer, but that is it.

I solved the problem once and for all! Hubby is a stamp collector. I saw it for a nice little hobby, let him collect those little pieces of paper and paste them in the books - it was nice to keep him home. One time (about 30 yrs ago) I was opening the mail. Hubby does the bills, but I opened one of his by mistake. There is a bill from a stamp auction firm for an amount that exceeded the yearly real estate tax bill, for one stamp. That was undoubtedly the worst fight we ever had. I remember him gasping when a few days later the carpet installers arrived to put in the new carpet for the entire downstairs. Ever since that day we "respect" each other hobbies. While I see him shake his head when I am trying to clean windows or work on my plants, a head shake is all I will ever get.

Look for their weakness girls. Blackmail has worked very well for me :)

Feleiianyz5 has the right idea, ladies! I never hide anything either. My hubby realizes his hobbies are more expensive than mine, so he doesn't dare complain. I know I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again... He used to scoff at me when I'd dream aloud about having a GH one day. Then came my opportunity - he wanted to get a Harley (after not having one for many years...) He pretty much always gets what he wants in the end (because he wears me down with his obsessing...) so I told him I would go along with a Harley if he'd be ok with me getting a GH of equal value. Doing it this way served a 2nd purpose - it kept him from buying a brand new high-end Harley, which would have been maybe twice as much. (Of course, that would have gotten me a bigger GH, too!)

And here's one that will work for some of you - until last year, my husband was a heavy smoker. If he gave me the evil eye about a new plant, I'd just say "Hey, your smoke makes the air dirty (cough-cough) - another plant will make the air cleaner." And some people speculate that the reason people lived hundreds of years before the "great flood" is because there was so much more vegetation on the planet. More vegetation = more oxygen, so think of it as we're all living in our own microclimate, which acts like a hyperbaric chamber! (Whatever excuse works best for you, I say!)

Denise in Omaha

My DH is the spender in the family. He has more clothes and gadgets...and stuff in the shower than I do. I know that he sneaks things in. I'm the cheap one. What I spend on plants is nothing, he never complains. In fact he likes it when I spend $$ 'cas he feels better about what he spends. His ex wife spilled the beans about $100 pair of sunglasses he bought his 14 y/o son. Shoot, I've never had a $100 pair of sunglasses. No sir, he doesn't say a word about plants that I buy.

When I ask him to come out into the yard (to see a plant) he groans. Like someone else said...can't he just pretend to be excited for me? He has gotten better about this.

In most areas he's a sweetie and I wouldn't trade him.

Hmmm...how come there aren't any men posting? Are there men on this forum?

I have enjoyed this post so much, so many different storys and all so funny. Thanks Sugar.
shanna

I don't know where the guys are on this forum, but I know there are lots of guys who really love hoyas. There is one at another forum that put mylar all over a room and then put light set ups for the plants. When I saw that, I said, "OMG...I would MARRY a guy that would make a room like that in the house just for the hoyas." Ha Ha
and don't forget..it is Mark Randal that puts together "Stemma" magazine for us hoya holics. :-)
Marcy

There are other ways to hide purchases. I have few tips on buying plants for the frugal shopper, and obnoxious husbands also. I usually won't buy things unless they are marked down, so it's easier for me. I usually use these tactics for saving for plants, but it works for anything you want to buy.

1. Carry a sharpie with you to mark down the price, if you find something you must have at full price, (after you've paid for it, of course, not condoning theft in any way) It's always good to come in the house with a great big grin and say, "Honey, look at what I found on sale for $5, it was marked $30 originally!"

2. Join freecycle, I'm always finding things I never knew I needed, and saved money for plants, "Honey look at what I got off of freecycle! Isn't it a beauty?" not only do I use it as an excuse to bring home a bought plant, I also find plants every once in a while offered. I picked up some nice trees that way, no hoyas yet, but trees are nice, right?

3. Pay cash for everything, skimp on store brands, and buy from the dented can store. Money saved, $20, enough for a couple plants. Who needs two plys anyway?

4. conserve gas, only go to town once a week, have a game plan of how your trip should go, use your ads to find the best buys, go in order down main street, and save the difference for plants.

5. open your own bank account, that way DH doesn't know how much you really spend. I take $20 off the top of his check and save it for mail order plants.

6. buy mail order if you can, say you got it in a trade.

With the above plan, I can save over $50/week. DH won't care that you've bought a plant, look at all the money you've saved. It works, theoretically at least.

Mentha
Your a genius, one of those has to work.
thanks shanna

Mentha - You sure sound like you've been able to fine-tune your master plan! (ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaa) Thanks for the tip$.
-Nicole-

As a man, and a frequent surfer on the hoya forum (I only have one hoya) but like you I constantly fuss about my next plant...

I am a plant-oholic, when I am not planning which bulbs to order, I am misting the orchids, when I am not trimming my roses, I am putzing around Home Depot for "one more plant." I am constantly watering plants that aren't mine when I am supposed to be working in the office.

It has its bonuses, though. My boss gave me the day off if I promised to go with her to Home Depot and get some plants. My mom and girlfriend think I love plants more than them. (Once my mom was in the hospital and I told her co-workers she liked orchids and succulents just so I can update my collection). I think of all the destructive hobbies in the world, ours is a great one, where we can beautify the Earth, make it cleaner, and get good exercise. That being said, I have snuck plants in when no one was looking but always seem to get caught. Once I got up in the middle of the night, planted some Oriental lilies in a flower bed, only to tell my parents that they have been growing there for years, and they never noticed!!

Now that is sick

All of the posts in this thread are funny, but, bradarmi, your's is laugh-out-loud-I-wish-I-hadn't-just-taken-a-drink-of-soda funny! Do you have an older, single brother with similar interests?!?

Kelly

Haha...Kelly, I think your post might've topped Bradarmi's! Can you imagine...finding love on the hoya forum??
:)

Well I live alone, so that's a great thing abt it, no one gets to say boo abt all the plants, all the quilts & all the other quilts in progress.

I had an interesting, sort of opposite experience dating a fellow plant lover. I'm in NYC growing indoors only, he was on the west coast growing outdoors only. I used to tease him abt the fact that there was not ONE single plant INSIDE his home.

Actually, when we first got together, he took me around to meet fellow plant collecting friends of his & I came home w/ over 50 cuttings, labeled & everything (huge shopping bag full!)! The man was generous to a fault, if I admired something, he have me a hunk. In the beginning, I had to show him that NYC plant friends here at local plant society mtgs consider a cutting abt the size of my hand. He & his friends made cuttings more the length of my forearm, I was running out of aptmt space really fast! Ended up hacking up much of my haul & sharing the plants w/ both my societies -- win, win all around! (& no hiding)

bradarmi - Now THAT's what I'm talking about!! We need more guys like you :)We all understand that "just one more plant, than I'll wait awhile" NOT!! But I love the middle of the night planting spree :):):) I'll have to remember that one.
-Nicole-

Kelly, I do not have an older brother, sorry. Though, finding love on the hoya forum would make all those Match.com people so jealous!!

I am glad that everyone found humor in the post since I swear my life is like a Seinfield episode. Plant people trully are unique. I discovered there is something plant people all share - we are all very observant. I notice things that my friends would never see (which helps when my girlfriend changes her hair!!). I think it what made me become a scientist and enjoy things like Law and Order on TV. Plant people will tell you what diameter pot their favorite plant is planted in, the last time it bloomed, what humidity the plant prefers, and where the plant is originally from.

I dont think we have a problem at all - its everyone else who doesn't understand - right!??!

Too funny, I had to hide mine, too! I just purchased my first two hoyas -- H. lacunosa and H. carnosa "picata". Hubby thinks I have tooo many plants, mostly orchids and he's right, I do. But what's two more. Anyway, I can't help myself. Lucky for me, I have been buying Christmas gifts online, so I just ripped the label off the box the hoyas came in and tossed the box in the garage with the boxes the gifts came in! BRADARMI, you are so right about us being observant...too bad most of us can't balance our check books as well as we can gauge the humidity needs of our plants. LOL. Since these are my first two hoyas, can someone tell me their cultural needs or point me to a website? I live in Western PA; not much direct sun shining through the windows during the winter. Will they do alright in an eastern window w/a lot of indirect light or do they need sun? If they do need sun, how many hours? I do have a window that gets eastern sun (when it shines) and another window w/western sun. What season do they bloom? What about under lights? I do have some CFL's that the hoyas can go under. Water: less in winter? Fertilizer?? Thanks experts. Liz

Liz - WELCOME!!! Careful hoyas can be VERY contagious!! I also have lacunosa, and it seems to like bright indirect light, morning sun is best. It also likes to not be so dry in between waterings. As far was when it blooms, I'm not too sure but if you go to the "search" box on top and type in something like Hoya lacunosa care, you'll get more threads that pop up from that question, also a great guide to see pics of flowers and/or leaves of different hoyas along with some good advice can be found on myhoyas.com
Enjoy!
-Nicole-

Liz
Hey congrats on your first two hoyas. Like Nicole said hoyas unfortunately are very addictive. I live in Missouri so I'm not sure how the light differs from state to state but my lacunosa is in a southern window. I have verticle blinds on my windows and I open them before I leave for work and shut them when I get home. My Lacunosa I pretty much take care of it like my other hoyas, water when dry. I probably need to check the soil with my finger more often but it seems I am watering mine right now about once a week and when I water the soil is dry. Of course you can tell if you watch careful when your watering too much a leaf or two will turn yellow and in my case fall off (this happened with my lacunosa). My lacunosa bloomed about 2-3 weeks ago. And it is now producing buds off of 3 peduncles so it will bloom again shortly. I also have alot of my hoyas in East windows.
Hope this helps
Here's a pic of my Lacunosa

I find that lacunosa likes to be kept moist. I never let mine dry out. I keep all my hoyas in eastern exposure (morning sun).

Gabi

Shanna, your plant of Lacunosa is a piece of eye candy, it must fill the room with fragrance when in bloom. One of my Lacunosa cuttings I got from D. Liddle this spring has really taken off, I've already had to repot it in a slightly larger pot. The other two L's are growing but more slowly as is the variegated Bella but all look healthy.

A......

Thanks for the welcome and all the great advice. I currently have my hoyas in an eastern window. In winter (now) they only get indirect sun. They look fine, but no new growth. I amy try a southern exposure and see what happens. Thanks again. Liz

Thanks A....
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond, we had a death in the family and I have not been able to log on my pc.
shanna

Does anyone still read these answers? Because I've got experience.

Denise, let me share something I've known for 20 years... That HD stuff? It stands for 'hunnerdollars'. Doesn't matter what the part, 9 times out of 10, $100 was paid for it. Considering there are two full 'baggers' in the garage, and pieces parts of three other 'less than 4 wheeled vehicles' in the drive way...

I don't have to hide plants. I always remind that His hobby is considerably more expensive than mine, and all those Harley parts equal a lotta orchids.

(Mentha, who knew you were so sneaky!? I was wondering when introduced as the 'lady I bought that epi for as a birthday present' but I remeber I sent you all the cuttings... I figured that was what that was about!!!)

I don't hide plants, but I have had to take a bit of flack lately.
"Is that anOther orchid??"
"Yes, dear don't you think it will photograph well up against the color of the side cover on the motorcycle? Perhaps sitting the on the trike? Then everyone could see we share hobbies!"

Which is Not True. If it has tires, he is happy.
Leaves and flowers, my deal all the way.
We schedule our events accordingly.
He goes to Lake Elsinore to the Trike In, and I attend the Epi Show & Sale.

Oh, yeah, I'm addicted to more than just hoyas!