That's funny you had your first Hoya experience in a violin shop, since many of the fragrances of Hoyas have notes of smells I associate with instruments and old music buildings. -- There are a lot of different Hoyas and, of course, some of them are hard to grow and/or bloom. But, I would not say that most Hoyas have or deserve a reputation for being hard to grow. They just need well-draining soil (like mixing equal portions of bark, perlite, and potting soil) and a lot of light. They root from cuttings easily. -- They do have a bit of a reputation for being hard to bloom, but that is just a matter of people not understanding the nature of the plant. Misunderstanding 1: Not understanding how much light Hoyas need. Hoyas will grow just fine in low light, but they need high light conditions to bloom. So, a lot of people will have a Hoya for years and think "it keeps growing, but it never blooms - why?" And the answer is, they need to put it in a nice bright east or south facing window and 9/10 times that will solve the problem. Misunderstanding 2: Not understanding how mature Hoyas need to be to bloom. Hoyas can and will bloom as soon as 6 months after they were rooted, if they are in very high light conditions, like a sunny terrace in Malaga, Spain. For someone growing indoors in a northern climate, they're usually going to take 1-4 years to bloom, given a good window and proper care. -- Yeah, when people get into Hoyas, they do get excited for their first blooms because it does take longer than, say, an African Violet. So, you feel like you've accomplished more. Again, just to be clear, typically our "near death" Hoya experiences are not ones we've had with the more commonly available Hoyas. It's just a typical experience when you get into collecting difficult varieties as well as hardy ones. But I have hundreds of different Hoyas and I would say 90% of them practically drive themselves, so to speak. And most people who come here asking for help with a sick Hoya have just overwatered it. Which is exactly how people kill jade plants, but no one calls them hard to grow. :) -- It's likely the plant you saw was Hoya carnosa, just because that's the one that's been around longest, that everyone's grandmother seems to have had. It's a very tough, very hardy plant that will even put up with people who don't know what its ideal setup would be. I personally think you should have asked for a cutting. :) Because that's a neat origin story, and it's the perfect time of year to root new plants. (Not that you can't root a Hoya any time of the year - they grow year-round, given adequate light.) Btw, there is a Hoya cv. Viola. :) That's what belonged in that shop!! This post was edited by greedyghost on Sun, May 11, 14 at 0:35

Ann, funny you should mention Bath & Body Works. I ran in there tonight, hoping to find a good sale. NOPE! I guess it's still a bit too early. That's okay, I'll wait! I got those Holiday hand soap pumps last year for an incredible deal and they made great gifts. I dressed them up by wrapping them in cute cellophane gift bags and ribbon. I stock up on their hand soap when it goes on sale. It's the best! Sheryl

Minimal stress in our home. We buy for DS, each other and 2 very close friends. We spend the most on DS, who's 27 ;o) We buy a "house gift" and small gifts for each other. One year the house gift was a case of wine, another year it was a beautiful pasta bowl set that included a serving bowl and 4 pasta bowls that we both picked out. Another year it was a 29 bottle wine cooler. We don't buy just to buy. The gifts have to be useful or meaningful. The small gifts we exchange might be a pair of slippers, pajamas, robe or something pertaining to a particular hobby. Our most enjoyable time is stuffing the stockings. DH, DS and I look forward to the gifts we choose for each other's stockings and this has become a tradition. We get the most joy out of the time spent doing a "round robin" with our stocking "gifts". I get small gifts for certain people that I work closely with and we limit the amount to between $5-7 on each person (there are 7). My office-mate and I know each other so well that the gifts we exchange are always meaningful. The price is inconsequential...the thought that goes in to it is. I also buy a gift for my boss but I keep the price limit to $20.

Ha ha, that would never happen here. Squishy still hasn't forgiven me for getting Flansy and it's been 3 years now. Monica, I'd love an Akita but I'd worry about not being strong enough to hold them back if they ever decided to take offence to another dog, which some of them can do. There is a couple of Japanese Akita breeders in Aus now. Not the American Akita, which is the common breed and often just called Akita. They are different breeds and the Japanese ones are a bit smaller and not as heavily built. I have though about getting a Japanese Akita one day. Once again, big strong dogs. Of course if I won Tattslotto I'd import a Shikoku!