New growth on a Hoya vine can look like a peduncle or just new vine. It can be confusing to new Hoya collectors and more experience collectors alike. Learn how to spot the difference.
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.
Flowering peduncles are the goal of every Hoya collector. We can say we’re in it for the beautiful foliage but that first peduncle resulting in flowers is what turns the occasional Hoya buyer into an all all out Hoya obsessed hoarder. Once we get started it can be next to impossible to get control of our obsession and our collections.
A peduncle is the stalk of a flower or inflorescence. The inflorescence in simple terms is the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis. This type of inflorescence which results in a flower or floral arrangement is known a cymose inflorescence. The other type of inflorescence is a racemose inflorescence in which the main axis continues to grow and does not terminate in inflorescence.
More information on Hoya anatomy is available in A Look at Hoya Sections, Part 1 by Mark Randal, Stemma 2(3), Summer 2008.
Another great site with well labeled cross sections of Hoya flowers can be found at Some Bad Photos of Plants. The Beautiful Hoya, Sunday, October 11, 2020. They are actually very good photos of plants. Amazing.
Is it a new peduncle or just a bit of new vine? This is a question that bedevils many a new Hoya collector. We spend a little money on a new Hoya, sometimes a lot of money, tend our plants lovingly, give them the best possible conditions, fret over every lost leaf and when we spot a little new growth we all want it to be a peduncle. More often that not it’s just a bit of new vine.
Many hoyas are collected for their gorgeous foliage. However, bringing a Hoya to flower is a heady rush only a true hoyahead can understand. Above is the first peduncle to form on my Hoya sunrise. I’ve been keeping an eye on this since it first started to grow though initially I dismissed it as just new vine. The first clue it might be a peduncle is that it formed at a node. It also tends to be somewhat flat on the bottom as this is where the buds grow.
The second clue is the downward angle of growth. For many Hoyas the peduncles grow downward. This makes it easier for them to drip nectar onto the carpet. Kidding. Hoyas are epiphytes and grow in trees. This downward growth is probably some evolutionary adaptation that makes it easier for pollinators to access the pollen than if the flowers were pointing upwards and stuck to the leaves of the tree. Vines grow upward due to the upward climbing and twining nature of these plants. And, the leaves themselves tend to face upwards to bask in the sun.
In this photo of H. sunrise another possible peduncle is forming on an adjacent vine. It’s also somewhat flat on the end but hasn’t yet grown any buds so it’s still a question mark for me. Maybe it’s a peduncle. Then again, maybe not. It could just be a weird bit of vine. You can find a great photo of a H. sunrise flower at Vermont Hoyas.
In one last photo from H. sunrise is a photo of new vine growth. New leaves are forming on the node about an inch below the tip. At the base of each leaf is a rounded bit of yellow-green growth. These are the new leaf nodes.
You can also see them in the node above just below the tip. New leaves will form there as well.
Below are photos of two Hoya kerrii plants. They each grew what appears to be a peduncle. Each one juts out and angles downward. They’re somewhat flat at the end but neither has started to grow buds like in the photo above. They’ve stayed like this all summer so I don’t expect either one to bloom.
In the photo on the left that particular Hoya kerrii has a new vine growing from the same node with a new leaf at the base. I’ve noticed in photos on the web that Hoya kerrii tends to bloom close the stem and tends to point outward more. You can see this more in the photo on the right. Some nice photos of H. kerrii flowers can be found at Vermont Hoyas.
Below are a few photos of Hoya lacunosa, my most frequent bloomer.
Shout out to Basie Plants which is one of my favorite YouTube channels. When I’m not doing my own plant chores I’m watching Miro do his plant chores. He has loads of entertaining and informative videos. If you want to know more about peduncles vs new vine watch the video below. He has some great information and excellent photos.
New growth on a Hoya vine can look like a peduncle or just new vine. It can be confusing to new Hoya collectors and more experience collectors alike. Learn how to spot the difference.
Hoya lacunosa is an easy to care for plant. It loves lots of light but not so much water. Keep it more on the dry side. The fuzzy little flowers have a wonderful scent. It’s worth growing this Hoya just for the flowers.
New growth on a Hoya vine can look like a peduncle or just new vine. It can be confusing to new Hoya collectors and more experience collectors alike. Learn how to spot the difference.
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.
Hoya deykeae is known to be a bit of a diva but I ordered one anyway. I could not resist the beautiful venation and heart shaped leaves.
Hoya bella loves dappled shade and lots of water. The potting mix should never dry out. A self watering plant would work best for this plant.
New growth on a Hoya vine can look like a peduncle or just new vine. It can be confusing to new Hoya collectors and more experience collectors alike. Learn how to spot the difference.
Third Hoya Haul of 2023 featuring four new Hoyas from Steve’s Leaves: Hoya tomataensis, Hoya balaensis, Hoya cominsii and Hoya ciliata.
For those of us who collect Hoyas there comes a point when we realize we need more humidity, especially if we live in a area with low humidity or dramatic 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 humidity. Other Hoyas do poorly without ridiculously high humidity. I don’t recommend adding these to your collection unless you have a plan to accommodate their special needs or you happen to be the Hoya whisperer.
Adding a humidifier to every room is not a practical solution if you want to
prevent mold growth around the windows. I figured this out the hard way. My first thought was to buy a paludarium after watching the entire playlist Big Terrarium Build by Yoga and Plants with Roos on YouTube. I was really enthusiastic after the first few videos but after watching them all I realized I needed to look into this further before investing in a big glass box for my dining room which is the last bit of free space in my home. Most Hoyas are too large for a paludarium. Areas close to bottom can be too moist and those closer to the top can be too dry and the custom background work is a bit of an art form. I wanted something easier to manage on my own and a grow tent turned out the be the most practical solution. And yet, I still toy with the idea of buying that big paludarium.
Why this grow tent and not that other grow tent many Hoya fanatics are so
fond of in their YouTube reviews? Because the MarsHydro tent I ordered never showed up. I ordered it off their website hoping it would ship from their warehouse UPS or FedEx. Alas, it was out of stock in their main warehouse so they shipped it from an Amazon warehouse and somewhere between there and here it disappeared. Porch pirates? Maybe. I bickered too long and when I finally got online to file a police report I was past the 10 day limit. So there you go, I’m out my $114 and my grow tent. Everybody’s an entrepreneur, eh?
The second grow tent I ordered was from Gorilla Grow Tent. I wanted a
strong one since I would be hanging gridwall panels and plants. I got a 20% discount for being a military veteran. The tent shipped UPS and arrived in just a few days. The driver required a signature. I got my tent and I was happy.
I’ll cover Grow Tent Setup for Hoyas in another post.
Whichever grow tent you choose it’s helpful to watch several reviews and setup videos before purchasing so you know what you’re buying and what actual users think about that particular tent.
Doug Chamberlain from Vermont Hoyas has a great video on Grow Tent Basics on YouTube. This is a good place to start for getting ideas on how to set up your grow tent. Additionally, there is a wealth of knowledge on his web page about growing Hoyas.
Wolfgang’s Mama on YouTube has a great vertical setup in her grow tent. Watch New Hoya Setup Tour in Grow Tent: Growing Vertical for a great tour. This is the setup that convinced me a grow tent was what I needed rather than a paludarium.
Basie Plants on YouTube has a video on his Grow Tent Setup for Hoyas. He uses a combination of fencing for trellis and shelving units. I like the rabbit fencing. If I were to do another tent I might try this.
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.
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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.