Hoya Carnosa Krimson Princess – Carla’s Hoya Haven

This is such a gorgeous plant I have two of them. This one was sold to me as Rubra which is the old trade name for Krimson Princes. I didn’t realize this at the time. I just thought it was beautiful so I bought it for $24 from Lowes. This plant is still in the original planter in plain potting mix. I took the hanger off it and set it in a more decorative planter now obscured by leaves. It’s a fairly large plant and it’s grown steadily over the winter sitting in front of a west facing window. I’m hoping to get some blooms off this one this summer. It’s hard to find peduncles through all those leaves but something in front of that window bloomed late last summer. I could smell it.

To the right is the first Krimson Queen I purchased in October 2021 from Pistils Nursery for around $30. I knew nothing about Hoyas at the time. I kept reading posts online and people were using a wide variety of mixes and methods to pot and grow hoyas. They were using everything from Leca to Orchid mix to cactus soil. I decided to pot this in 1 part potting mix, 1 part cactus mix and 1 part orchid bark with enough Bonsai Jack’s Gritty Mix thrown in to make sure it drained well. If anything this speaks to the resiliency of of Hoyas. Carnosas in particular are hardy plants and easy to grow. This makes for a great beginner plant. You can make mistakes and as long as it gets light, moisture, a little fertilizer and you let it dry out between waterings it will grow for you. I bought this plant in a 6″ pot with just a few vines peaking over the edge of the pot.

It did okay under a Sansi grow light but it does better if placed in a window. Like the one above labeled Rubra this one grew all winter long in front of a west facing window. Some vines are around 3′ long. Both my Krimson Princesses have a couple vines that reverted back to just plain carnosa. I rather like the mixed look but this is the reason I stopped buying carnosa varieties. I’m not spending $100 or more on a grey ghost just to have it revert back to $12 carnosa.

Overall, I love this plant. I love it so much I bought two. Each leaf looks hand painted. The touch of pink on new leaves is lovely. If you’ve never owned a hoya and you’re not sure where to start then buy this one. It’s gorgeous. It’s easy to care for. It’s a good strong grower. And, it’s really very lovely.

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