Hoya Carnosa

Hoya Carnosa

Hoya carnosa

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Difficulty — Beginner

The Wax Plant is an old-fashioned charmer, her thick, waxen leaves trailing in long ropes from many a grandmother's window. Patience is her one demand, for when she at last blooms she produces clusters of star-shaped flowers so perfect they seem carved from porcelain and scented with honey at dusk. A truly enchanting specimen for the unhurried grower.

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Notes on Cultivation

☀Light

Bright, indirect light is essential, and a little gentle direct sun will encourage her to bloom. In dim conditions she survives but stubbornly refuses to flower — light is the currency with which you purchase her blossoms.

❦Water

Her succulent leaves store water, so let her dry out well between drinks; she far prefers neglect to fussing. Overwatering is the surest way to lose her, so when in doubt, wait another day.

☁Humidity

She tolerates average humidity but appreciates a little extra, particularly when setting buds. She is no hothouse flower, however, and grows well in ordinary rooms.

✵Temperature

Keep her between 60 and 85 Fahrenheit. She can endure a slightly cooler rest in winter, which may even help coax the following season's bloom.

❧Soil

A very well-draining mix — I use an orchid-and-perlite blend — suits her epiphytic roots best. She loathes heavy, water-retentive soil above all things.

❀Fertilizing

Feed lightly during the growing season with a balanced or bloom-supporting fertiliser. A high-potassium feed as buds form can encourage a more generous flowering.

✿Propagation

Stem cuttings with a node or two root easily in water or moist mix. She is slow but sure, and a rooted Hoya is a gift that keeps producing.

Field Observations

Never, I beg you, cut off the leafless flower stalks — these are her peduncles, and she blooms from the same spurs year after year. Removing them throws away next season's flowers.

She prefers to be a touch pot-bound; do not rush to repot her. A snug pot, in my experience, hastens the day she finally deigns to bloom.

— faithfully recorded by Mr. Phileas Plant

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