Looks like hoya carnosa, a very slow-to-bloom hoya.

You need to make sure it gets at least 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight. A soulth or west facing window would work. If you cannot provide those conditions naturally, it would be wise to invest in an artificial light source.

In the late spring/summer, when night time temps are 55F or above, you can put it outside in bright, but indirect sunlight (direct sun can cause sunburns and leaf loss), such as under a shade cloth or under a patio awning. I hang my carnosa under my cherry tree. It gets nice filtered sun. Just be sure to harden it off first.

To harden it off, place it outside in the shadefor 4-6 hours a day, for a week, once night temps are 55F or above. Then, move it to a brighter area, such as under a tree or table with East facing exposure for a week. Leave it outside. Lastly, move it to it's permanent spring/summer location.

Fertilize weakly weekly (1/4_1/2 strength water soluble fertilizer to a gallon of water) or add some time release fertilizer to the pot (1/2 tsp. for every 2 inches of pot, so a 4 inch pot would be 1 tsp. of fertilizer).

Make sure the potting media is well-draining (sand and soil are enemies of hoyas). A good mix could consist of 1 cup fine orchid bark, 1 cup of perlite the same size as the orchid bark, and 1 cup of new zealand sphagnum moss or 1 cup of coconut coir chunks the same size as the bark and perlite. Mix all ingredients, soak overnight, rinse, and pot up. Before re-potting, soak the roots for about 10 minutes (warm tepid water) to loosen the soil. If the soil is really dense, use your fingers and gently remove as much of the old soil as possible. Then, repot!

As long as it gets plenty of light and the right nutrition, it should start putting out peduncles. It certainly appears to be blooming sized!

Thank you aurorawa for taking the time to answer my questions and for sharing your knowledge on the carnosa hoya. I visited your site and I'm now one of your new followers. will follow every step.

Thx a bunch for your help and great info. Much appreciated.

That's a beautiful, healthy looking carnosa. And I'm not allowed to give aurorawa any more compliments for her breadth of knowledge and willingness to share, as I'm approaching Stage 5 Clinger Alert. lol

Lol. It is one of the prettiest carnosas I have seen, and (please don't hate me for this), I am not really a carnosa fan!

aurorawa, If I had your knowledge on plants it probably wouldn't be one of my fave either! But thanks for complimenting mine!

Hi Mary-ann! Welcome to the Hoya Forum :). I started with my Hoya carnosa about 8-9 years ago (first as a single cutting from my home-ec teacher's plant, then my first cuttings were of carnosa here on GW when I joined in '09). I nicknamed her Nikki (search here on the forum for the full story). She has never flowered for me, but I finally got two peduncles on her last summer. I also feed mine with Miracle Gro Tomato Fertilizer and they love it! Humidity helps, as well. I take all of my Hoyas outside for spring and summer vacation.

Aurora has it pretty down pat :). Here's a blossom from my friend's plant I gave her a few years ago and this was the second umbel from the second peduncle it produced. Now I know what to look forward to! ;)

Brad, you have the patience of a saint. 9 years is a long time to go without a bloom, good thing Nikki is pretty to look at in the meantime. :D

I had a gorgeous dark green Carnosa like yours but lost it for some reason. I was devastated! Now I can't find a "dark leafed" one any where!!

Hi Brad. I like you're artistic maquillage!

Thanks for the welcome. I 'm enjoying the forum; i feel like I've known you all before by the way you all converse with one another (maybe from a previous life!..) The feedback is great. Your friend's blossom is stunning! Hopefully, my 'zsa-zsa' will produce the same.

enjoy your day

Just wondering if any of you have tried Epsom salt for fertilizer? Is it safe....

Not safe as a fertilizer, BUT it can help significantly with magnesium deficiencies (yellowing of the leaves). I don't use it on my hoyas, but have used it in my veggie and herb beds.

A good fertlizer for any plants needs to have a Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium ratio, also known as an NPK ratio. An excellent fertilizer will have an NPK ratio AND micronutrients, such as copper, iron, magnesium, calcium, etc.

Magnesium sulfate (epsom salts), alone, cannot provide all of the nutrients a plant needs, which is why it cannot be used as a plant food alone.

Hope this helps!

It sure does, thanks again.

Thank you, Pomjay! ;) Zsa Zsa is a lovely name for your carnosa!

I just saw my aforementioned friend today in Wal-Mart and I asked her about her carnosa. She said there is no more signs of blooms, but there is new growth appearing on it :).

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I agree, I love the name Zsa-Zsa!

Pomjay, beautiful plant and excellent name. Welcome!

Brad, what is the weather like there? Message me your address would you?

Being that I'm Hungarian, Zsa Zsa is a beautiful name. There are a lot of similar Hungarian girls names.....Zsu Zsu, Zsu Zse, Zsu Zsa and on and on......lol

The only Zsa Zsa I am familiar with is Zsa Zsa Gabor and her equally famous sister, Eva, whom both were before my time, but I love the stars, movies, and TV shows of yesteryear :).

Sending you a message, Kim!

Brad AKA Moonwolf