Bitten by the Hoya bug

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Steph115
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Bitten by the Hoya bug

#1

Post by Steph115 »

I'd never been particularly interested in hoyas. Something about the too-perfect geometry of the sphere of flowers turned me off. That was until I saw Hoya multiflora ("shooting star hoya") with flowers that suit the name. I found an H. multiflora and bought it from an online seller. It resumed growth almost immediately after potting and already has two flower stalks growing! I told myself that this one hoya was the exception - there were no other hoyas that would seduce me.

Then I saw Hoya macgillivrayi. A giant hoya, it is a climbing vine that can grow >5 feet in height with individual, burgundy-colored flowers that are larger than a typical hoya flower cluster. On top of that, I realized that I loved Hoya carnosa compacta ("Hindu rope") in spite of its perfect geometric flower clusters. Hanging baskets of this plant are breathtaking. I found both for a killer price at Bob Smoley's Gardenworld and they arrived today! They look super healthy and ready to take off.

Anyone else a little Hoya-obsessed?
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Hoya multiflora
Hoya multiflora
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Hoya macgillivrayi
Hoya macgillivrayi
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Hoya compacta
Hoya compacta
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#2

Post by Steph115 »

3...2...1... blooms!
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Hoya multiflora
Hoya multiflora
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Azuleja
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#3

Post by Azuleja »

Those are pretty! They look like little shooting stars.
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#4

Post by Gee.S »

Hey Steph, Hoya doing? :))

I believe Tony at Plant Delights once claimed he had some Agave × Hoya hybrid buns in the oven, but for reasons unknown, those little piggies never made it to market.
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"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#5

Post by Steph115 »

Oh hey Gee - I'm pretty good - hoyabout you? :lol: :roll: we're so bad.

A hoya-agave hybrid?! I can't even imagine what that would look like. Or how one would come up with even attempting this cross. Are they more closely related than they seem?
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#6

Post by Gee.S »

I know, really odd, right? There was a blurb about it at Plant Delights several years back, but no trace of it now. My guess is a cross, then viable seed, then a bunch of seedlings that all bit the dust.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#7

Post by Steph115 »

Expanded my collection to include H. imperialis, H. megalaster, H. archiboldiana, H. finlaysonii, and H. carnosa "Chelsea". The first three listed are relatives of H. macgillivrayi and can grow to 5 feet tall. Their flowers are awesome. Archiboldiana flowers look like a chalice, and Megalaster reminds me of the "Demagorgon" from the series Stranger Things. I purchased all of these from Bob Smoley's Gardenworld except megalaster, which was harder to find.

I've put most of them together in a crate because I've read they can create a nice humid microenvironment & help each other grow. They burn very easily. I have them getting a touch of direct sun through a southeast facing window and the Imperialis & Macgillivrayi have sustained some damage. I am keeping them there hoping they will adapt because I think they'll grow better in the long run with more intense sun.

Flower photos from Vermont Hoyas - the best site I've found for tips on hoya cultivation.
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Hoya crate
Hoya crate
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Hoya archiboldiana
Hoya archiboldiana
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Hoya imperialis
Hoya imperialis
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Hoya macgillivrayi - new growth
Hoya macgillivrayi - new growth
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Hoya megalaster
Hoya megalaster
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H. megalaster
H. megalaster
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H. archiboldiana
H. archiboldiana
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Hoya imperialis
Hoya imperialis
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#8

Post by Steph115 »

Invested in some pretty giant Hoya compacta "Hindu rope" for our porch. Unfortunately, many of the small hoyas I purchased really languished over the winter indoors. Unclear if they will make it. But these guys are thriving so far.
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Hoya compacta "hindu rope"
Hoya compacta "hindu rope"
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Hoya compacta "Hindu rope"
Hoya compacta "Hindu rope"
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#9

Post by Steph115 »

Can’t believe it, but after 9 months of total dormancy, my Hoya megalaster has taken off. It is producing some of the most gorgeous leaves I’ve ever seen! It’s in this tiny little 2 inch pot but because they are so vulnerable to overwatering I think I will put off potting up until next year. The key I’ve found with Hoyas is light modulation. I’ve burned them inside before when they were too near a window, but my dozen species are now happy outside under a little makeshift shade cloth compartment on my shelves.
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H. Megalaster #1
H. Megalaster #1
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H. Megalaster #2
H. Megalaster #2
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H megalaster #3
H megalaster #3
E9849A79-A0F4-4F40-A9F4-67A10892239A.jpeg (67.85 KiB) Viewed 6501 times
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Steph115
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#10

Post by Steph115 »

These leaves are the shiniest I’ve ever seen
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#11

Post by Jkwinston »

I grow a few, but they have been neglected in the last few years. I lost most of my 'Indian Rope' during my winter disaster earlier this year, but I still have some carnosa varieties. Jkw
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#12

Post by Epiphyte »

Nice collection! Have you tried pollinating Hoyas before? I can remove the pollen (it's where the 5 black dots are) but I don't know where to put it. :?
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#13

Post by Jkwinston »

Epiphyte wrote:Nice collection! Have you tried pollinating Hoyas before? I can remove the pollen (it's where the 5 black dots are) but I don't know where to put it. :?
I have never tried, and would not know where to start. Usually I find it easier to take cuttings and root them. I cannot remember ever seeing a hoya fruit on any plant. But now that you mentioned it, I will pay some more attention to the flower. as there must be a way to do it. Jkw
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#14

Post by Epiphyte »

Jkwinston wrote:
Epiphyte wrote:Nice collection! Have you tried pollinating Hoyas before? I can remove the pollen (it's where the 5 black dots are) but I don't know where to put it. :?
I have never tried, and would not know where to start. Usually I find it easier to take cuttings and root them. I cannot remember ever seeing a hoya fruit on any plant. But now that you mentioned it, I will pay some more attention to the flower. as there must be a way to do it. Jkw
Hoyas are pretty easy from cuttings. But they are also really easy and quick from seed. Well, the seeds are fast to germinate. Compared with cuttings it does take longer to get a blooming size plant, but there's the potential of getting an even better plant.

A local grower named Tom has by far the best outdoor collection of Hoyas that I've ever seen. He doesn't pollinate his Hoyas but he gets many pods... and australis regularly volunteers for him. One of the volunteers is probably an australis hybrid. When I visited him one of the pods on his NOID Hoyas had just burst open and he let me have the seeds. I counted around 60 seeds and now I have around 50 seedlings in the process of producing their first real leaf. It will be fascinating to see how much variation there will be among the seedlings. I think he said that the parent is a hybrid, so there might be quite a bit of variation.

Pat, another local grower, gets pods on his Hoya kerrii. Two of my plant friends and I have gotten pods on our Hoya serpens. I'd like to try and grow all the different Hoyas that naturally get pods on them here in California. It would be wonderful to create a hybrid swarm. The goal would be to find the individuals that grow drier and in a wider range of temps. Big flowers would also be nice!
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Re: Bitten by the Hoya bug

#15

Post by Jkwinston »

Thanks for your inspiring response. Do you know I feel quite encouraged by the fact you can get a few pods without the effort of trying to pollinate. I will have to try and pay more attention to the flowering process, and see if can spot any dramatic events unfolding. For all you know, I may find a pod in a hidden foliage corner (I wish). I have lots of H carnosa, slightly neglected, but this information could spur me on to develop more enthusiasm for the species. Jkw
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