Hoya Retusa – Carla’s Hoya Haven

I purchased Hoya retusa from Hirt’s Gardens in August, 2021. I’ve had this one a year and a half and it finally bloomed for me in the grow tent. All I have is the one flower but it’s the most beautiful flower I’ve seen. Actually, I think it might have bloomed late last summer when I had it on a shelf in a bedroom. It was getting a bit of midday sun but otherwise it was in a shady spot all day. Every time a breeze blew through the window I would get a whiff of something lightly floral, slightly citrusy. It reminded me a little of hotel soap. There were four Hoya plants in front of the window and I kept searching for peduncles and finding none. I didn’t even think to check this plant.

H. retusa is a relatively easy plant to grow once you get the care down. It does like it warm, humid and moist. It requires regular watering and doesn’t want it’s potting mix to dry out. I currently have it in the grow tent underneath a carnosa for shade. I water this one once a week along with the other Hoyas in the tent.

It’s in ABG mix and coconut husk chips and I water it by soaking it in a small bowl of lightly fertilized water. Shade and humidity are key to its growth. The slender leaves can’t take to much sun or dry air or they begin to dry out. In the right environment it grows like a weed.

This is one of my favorites. It’s such an oddball plant. I love the little bunches of leaves. To me they look like a string of spiders. I’ll find a good spot for it somewhere in a bedroom this summer. I look forward to more fresh scented blooms.

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