October 2023

A Blog About Hoyas & Other Houseplants

Another new Hoya from Unsolicited Plant Talks

One of the newest additions to my collection is Hoya wallichii ssp. tenebrosa. Isn’t she lovely?

Shortly after receiving a gorgeous Hoya blashernaezii ssp. siariae from Unsolicited Plant Talks I felt compelled to order one more plant from them before fall. I prefer to receive new Hoyas before it gets cold in the fall and nighttime temps dip below freezing.

I chose this one for the unusual flower. I borrowed this image from Vermont Hoyas. This flower looks like it was molded from white chocolate and filled with berry jam. How delicious!

I quickly figured out that this hoya does indeed like to be in the shade and so far the best spot for it is next to my Hoya retusa which is another shade loving plant. It also doesn’t like to be overwatered. It’s in a chunky mix and I left some water in the tray to hydrate the mix and then moved the plant too close to a grow light. One leaf turned yellow overnight and has since fallen off. It’s doing well in the shade with less water and regular humidity of 50-55%.

I will probably have to move this to the grow tent for the winter once humidity drops below 40%. This Hoya has thin leaves.

Hoya wallichii ssp. tenebrosa is native to Borneo (Kalimantan). It is considered a scrambling subshrub or lythophyte and was published in 2021 by Rahayu & Rodda in Blumea.

Posted

in

Tags:

flowering vine, houseplant, hoya, hoya collection, hoya collector, lower light hoya, Plants, shade loving hoya, thin leaved hoya, Unsolicited Plant Talks, UnsolicitedPlantTalks, vining houseplants, vining plants

Look at this gorgeous plant! I love her!

This is the most expensive plant I’ve purchased to date at $140 but also the largest. Usually, I buy smaller plants because they’re more cost effective. I just couldn’t resist this one and she was worth every penny.

Unsolicited Plant Talks has been popping up in my Instagram feed for a while now. I visited their site a few times and they have an amazing selection of Hoyas and I love the way they laid out care instructions on their website. I like that they point out which plants are a challenge. It’s really good to know which plants are going to give me a hard time before I add them to the cart.

I purchased this plant for the unique flowers and also for the care instructions: shade, intermediate temperatures and lower humidity around 40% or above. I can deal with that. After loosing a couple high heat, high humidity, fussy Hoyas this year I decided to stick with easy to intermediate level Hoyas for a while. Those that can survive the winter in average household humidity are fine with me.

My package from Unsolicited Plant Talks arrived in excellent condition within a few days. I like the branded packing tape. That’s a nice touch.

Inside the box my new plant was cushioned in a cloud of wadding, wrapped in foam, clearly marked and nestled in packing paper.

Not one single leaf was broken. Not one leaf tip was bent.

I set my new H. blashernaezii in front of a window. It’s west facing but there is a porch eave and a tree out front that shade this window quite well. The sheers prevent any direct sun from touching the leaves.

The plant seems happy here. There is new growth in two places. All the leaves perk up a bit when the sun shines . As long as this plant is happy and growing I’m going to leave it here.

H. blashernaezii is named after Filipino plant collector, Blas Hernez, who first collected this Hoya species on the Island of Catanduanes near Luzon. SSP. Siariae was collected on Luzon Island, Philippines, in the Bilcol region by Reynold B. Pimentel and named after Dr. Simeona V. Siar for her scientific contributions to the study of Hoyas.

For now this plant is doing well in my living room window. I look forward to seeing some blooms next year – maybe.

• Hoya Blashernaezii SSP. Siariae (yellow) is native to the Philippines. It is one of the newest Hoyas added to my collection.

• Update on Hoya finlaysonii and Hoya butleriana. Separating the twining plants and giving each their own infinity trellis.

• Sixth Hoya haul of 2023. New plants from Garden of Hayden on Etsy including Hoya madulidii, Hoya ilagiorum and Hoya verticillata BP-2.

• Update on Hoya cv. Viola cuttings. Too much light and possibly potted too early. They are firmly rooted in the potting mix. Moved them to the grow tent.

• Hoya krohniana is a small leafed, easy to care for plant that would make a wonderful addition to any plant collection.

• Hoya Blashernaezii SSP. Siariae (yellow) is native to the Philippines. It is one of the newest Hoyas added to my collection.

• Aeonium Irish Bouquet is a small, medium light, drought tolerant plant that makes a nice addition to any collection.

• Hoya Blashernaezii SSP. Siariae (yellow) is native to the Philippines. It is one of the newest Hoyas added to my collection.

• Hoya archboldiana was one of my cuttings purchased from Garden of Hayden mid-April 2023. Since that time it has rooted, grown a vine and added two new pairs of leaves.

• Update on Hoya finlaysonii and Hoya butleriana. Separating the twining plants and giving each their own infinity trellis.

• Ninth plant haul from Steve’s Leaves. This box contained hoya globulosa, hoya aceh bogar, hoya finlaysonii “classic”, hoya fitchii, hoya butleriana and hoya clemensiorum.

• Eighth Hoya haul of 2023. New plants from The Planted Veteran including H. rosita, H. phuwuaensis and H. sarawak.

• Potting up Hoya quinquenervia cutting from Garden of Hayden. After another week under the Good Earth grow light this little cutting has new growth points.

• Potting up Hoya archboldiana. This was one of my cuttings from Garden of Hayden. It was rooted in stratum under blue light from the Good Earth Grow Light. It already has new growth.

• Update on Hoya cv. Viola cuttings. Too much light and possibly potted too early. They are firmly rooted in the potting mix. Moved them to the grow tent.

• Hoya sigillatis is native to Borneo and has beautiful splashy leaves that sunstress purple. It’s worth growing just for the foliage.

• Hoya obovata is a gorgeous plant with splashy dark green leaves. It’s an easy care plant that is very forgiving and an excellent plant for beginners.

• Hoya australis and Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ are gorgeous plants with thick glossy leaves. It likes bright light and can tolerate a bit of drought. It’s an easy to care for plant that makes a nice addition to any plant collection.

• Third Hoya Haul of 2023 featuring four new Hoyas from Steve’s Leaves: Hoya tomataensis, Hoya balaensis, Hoya cominsii and Hoya ciliata.

• A fantastic Hoya haul from The Planted Veteran. Hoya meliflua, Hoya fungii and Hoya merrilli.

• Hoya pallilimba looks a lot like Hoya brevialata. The difference is in the flowers with brevialata growing larger red or white flowers and pallilimba growing smaller reddish flowers.

• Hoya brevialata is a cute little plant with small fuzzy leaves. This one grows best in the shade with high humidity. I keep it in my grow tent.

• Hoya nummularioides is a big name for a small plant with cute fuzzy leaves. It’s not a fussy plant and I suspect it will be more of a summer grower for me.

• Hoya kerrii is not my personal favorite but I can get it to grow. After sphagnum moss nearly killed one of my plants I managed to chop and prop and the remaining sections are doing well.

• Hoya polyneura is a diva and a bit of a biatch. Take a good look because this is probably the last time you’ll see this one on my website.

• Hoya caudata is a beautiful plant. Get the care right and it will reward you with steady growth and beautiful leaves.

• Hoya carnosa krinkle 8 is another fuss free carnosa variety. It’s a bit of an oddball but it’s weird crinkly leaves this one could be a potential stunner in the long run.

• Hoya carnosa compacta looking like a strange braided hairdo from the Middle Ages.

• Hoya carnosa Chelsea is another carnosa variety, cute leaves but it can be a bit persnickety. Not the best Hoya. Skip this one and save your money for something else.

• Hoya carnosa is an attractive no-fuss plant that’s great for beginners and collectors.

• Hoya sipitangensis is a wonderful addition to any Hoya collection.

• Impressive growth on Hoya sunrise. Two vines rescued are now thriving. Time to pot them up.

• Looking over Hoya rangsan. Time to come out of the grow tent and onto a shelf in front of a window.

• Grow tent setup with gridwall panels. I chose to set up my grow tent with gridwall panels hung from S-hooks with nylon cord. I then zip tied the panels to the frame for further stability. Let me just start off by saying that the extension poles were not necessary for my purpose. The Gorilla Grow…

• For those of us who collect Hoyas there comes a point when we realize weneed more humidity, especially if we live in a area with low humidity ordramatic changes in humidity levels from one day to the next. Many Hoyas are thick leaved, have a succulent quality to them and do well in average household…

A Blog About Hoyas & Other Houseplants

My cuttings from my First Hoya Haul of 2023 from Garden of Haden are doing well and I decided it was time to buy a few more. Everything has rooted and grown leaves. In a couple cases just 1 leaf each but they are growing. Even though fall isn’t the best season for rooting cuttings I decided to order another 7 cuttings and they all arrived well packaged and in good condition just like the first batch.

Up first is Hoya Heuschkeliana (yellow). All the Heuschkelianas have such cute little leaves and so far the pink and the variegated are growing well under my grow lights. I’ve been rooting H. Heuschkeliana yellow in stratum for 12 days as so far it’s looking a bit dehydrated.

Next is Hoya verticillata albomarginata – formerly known as Hoya Acuta. This is one of the smallish leaved Hoyas which are perfect for those living in small spaces. This one is fast growing and low maintenance but prefers bright and warm conditions with higher humidity.

I may have to move this cup to the grow tent. The leaves are a little thin on this one, too.

On the right is Hoya UT-033. I’m trying some Hoyas with accession numbers. UT stands for Uthai Treesukhon, a Thai collector of Hoyas. A list of abbreviations and accession numbers can be found on Vermont Hoyas where there is also a full posting on Hoya sp. UT-033. Perhaps if this roots for me I’ll have to keep it in semi-hydro.

This one likes bright shade. Other growers say to water when dry or almost completely dry. Average humidity should be okay. I think this one might go in the grow tent until it’s fully rooted.

Sharing a yogurt cup with H. sp. UT-033 is H. sp. UT-039. This one likes bright indirect light. Water when soil surface is dry to the touch. I use a chunky soilless mix so we’ll see how that works out. No special humidity needs. Still the leaves are a bit floppy so I’ll move this to the grow tent.

Next we have Hoya Pusilla whose leaves are still firm. I think this is one that will do well outside the grow tent. H. Pusilla is purported to be one of the more vigorous and easy to grow hoyas. It’s well suited to a hanging basket in a shady location.

Rooting next to H. Pusilla is Hoya Elmeri. The leaves on H. Elmeri are also quite firm and this one is doing well outside the grow tent. H. Elmeri prefers bright indirect light and should do well in a chunky soilless mix. H. Elmeri and H. Pusilla both can withstand cooler temps but should remain above 40°F. Allow to dry between waterings. Cut back on the watering in fall and winter.

Check out the flower for H. Elmeri below. Gorgeous!! I borrowed the image from World of Succulents. This plant was formerly known as Hoya mindorensis subsp. superba.

Last up is Hoya Verticillata ‘Choomporn’. This plant prefers moist soil. Never let it dry out completely. It prefers bright indirect light with 4 hours of early morning or late afternoon light.

I’m going to try this one out on the plant shelf in front of my living room window once it roots. The window is west facing with sheers, a porch eave and a tree out front to provide shade. Surprisingly, my H. shepherdii does better here than anywhere else in my house. My H. shepherdii hates to be watered. H. v. ‘Choomporn’ hates to dry out. Maybe they’ll make a nice pairing on the same shelf.

Posted

in

Tags:

#hoyaheads, choomporn, flowering plants, grow tent, heuschkeliana, houseplant, hoya, hoya acuta, hoya choomporn, hoya collection, hoya collector, hoya elmeri, hoya mindorensis, hoya mindorensis superba, hoya plants, hoya pusilla, hoya superba, hoya ut-033, hoya ut-039, hoya verticillata, indoor plants, leaves, plant daddy, plant momma, plant parent, Plants

• New cuttings from Garden of Hayden. My cuttings from my First Hoya Haul of 2023 from Garden of Haden are doing well and I decided it was time to buy a few more. Everything has rooted and grown leaves. In a couple cases just 1 leaf each but they are growing. Even though fall isn’t…

• Hoya archboldiana was one of my cuttings purchased from Garden of Hayden mid-April 2023. Since that time it has rooted, grown a vine and added two new pairs of leaves.

• Update on Hoya finlaysonii and Hoya butleriana. Separating the twining plants and giving each their own infinity trellis.

• Sadly, I’m killing H. eriostemma. The poor thing simply could not tolerate normal household conditions in Iowa or my inconsistent watering strategy. I’m still hoping for a comeback but I think this one will end up in the trash.

• I’m killing Hoya chuniana. I’ve tried everything to save it but it’s now a one leaf wonder. It bears a resemblance to H. surigaoensis which thrives on a bit of neglect. If you’re only going to buy one then choose H. surigaoensis.

• Hoya balaensis has surprisingly large, somewhat heart-shaped leaves. It’s a no fuss, easy to grow plant that may one day reward you with beautiful blooms.

• I purchased Hoya cominsii from Steve’s Leaves. It’s a no fuss plant that’s grown well for me. It’s considered a synonym of H. nicholsoniae but a side-by-side leaf comparison reveals differences.

• I purchased Hoya tomataensis from Steve’s Leaves in mid April. It’s looking good, growing new leaves and and a long vine. It’s been an easy Hoya to grow and with smaller leaves it’s great for a smaller space.

• I purchased Hoya ciliata from Steve’s Leaves and it hasn’t changed much in 2 weeks. It’s one of the eriostemmas and requires heat, humidity and sunlight to grow well. I’m going to try putting it on the porch this week.

• Hoya heusckeliana (variegated) is an easy to care for plant. The little variegated leaves are lovely. It’s such a pretty plant to set on a shelf.

• Hoya verticillata (parasitica splash) is a lovely plant with beautiful splashy leaves. It’s perfect for a sunny window.

• Potting up Hoya incurvula. These are the last remaining cuttings to pot up from Garden of Hayden.

• Potting up Hoya Heuschkeliana. Three rooted cuttings from Garden of Hayden on Etsy.

• Hoya fungii is turning out to be a beautiful, easy to grow Hoya with thick leaves and vines. This is a great plant for beginners and collectors. I think this is going to be one of my favorites.

• I purchased Hoya meliflua from The Planted Veteran on Etsy in mid-April of 2022. It did not take long to sprout new growth points and start pushing out new leaves. It’s another great addition to my collection.

• Adding Hoya merrillii from The Planted Veteran to my collection. It’s a beautiful plant with lovely veining and sun stressed leaves. It did not take long to sprout new growth points and start pushing out new leaves. This is a wonderful plant!

• New cuttings from Garden of Hayden. My cuttings from my First Hoya Haul of 2023 from Garden of Haden are doing well and I decided it was time to buy a few more. Everything has rooted and grown leaves. In a couple cases just 1 leaf each but they are growing. Even though fall isn’t…

• Hoya archboldiana was one of my cuttings purchased from Garden of Hayden mid-April 2023. Since that time it has rooted, grown a vine and added two new pairs of leaves.

• Update on Hoya finlaysonii and Hoya butleriana. Separating the twining plants and giving each their own infinity trellis.

• Adding Hoya merrillii from The Planted Veteran to my collection. It’s a beautiful plant with lovely veining and sun stressed leaves. It did not take long to sprout new growth points and start pushing out new leaves. This is a wonderful plant!

• Sixth Hoya haul of 2023. New plants from Garden of Hayden on Etsy including Hoya madulidii, Hoya ilagiorum and Hoya verticillata BP-2.

• Potting up my Hoya buotii cutting from Garden of Hayden.

• Potting up Hoya finlaysonii “Songkhla”.

• Hoya australis and Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ are gorgeous plants with thick glossy leaves. It likes bright light and can tolerate a bit of drought. It’s an easy to care for plant that makes a nice addition to any plant collection.