PlantFiles: Hoya, Wax Plant, Porcelain Flower
Hoya carnosa

Three years ago I given a shoot of this plant. It was basically a stick with two leaves on it. It has since grown to about 30 inches and has all the indications that it's a healthy plant. The concern that I have is that it has not bloomed. Can anyone tell me what I may be doing wrong?

I have been growing Hoya on each side of my corner window for 15 years. One 8 foot window is facing East the other (also 8 foot) faces South. The Hoya now serves as curtains growing up each side of the corner and as valance across the top. Both sides have filled out and provide a balanced frame over the complete corner. We absolutely love the fragrance that fills the room each evening. I find it to be the easiest plant that I grow. (and friends call my living room a jungle.) Plants purify the air we breathe. I find the plants give a sense of peace to the room. We will grow our Hoya as long as it wants to live with us.

I was given a stem of this plant by an elderly woman who'd had it for at least 40 years. She said it was her grandmother's. It was just a stick in a pot of dirt for five years, and then suddenly last summer started growing, putting out leaves... and now it has bloomed for the first time since I got it. Truly amazing (to me, anyway).

I love the way the buds look before they open fully, and the flowers are a pretty pink. They do ooze a bit of nectar, but not overmuch.

My plant lives in a Southeast window and gets lots of sun. I water it once a week and fertilize about once a month.

My mother received as a gift a hoya carnosa when I was born. I am now 61. My mother has passed on, but the plant is still going strong. Have had it in 7 California and one Arizona residences. The last two Christmas seasons it bloomed. Had to move it to make room for computer, and the room has less light because we covered the main window. It didn't bloom this Christmas. I had been under the impression that it doesn't like the light, but maybe I was wrong. It now gets a tiny sliver of light, facing south. Maybe I should try giving it more.

I have had a Hoya for years with great success.
Does anyone know of a source for Hoya carnosa 'Sweetheart'? There is a large one growing at the Franklin park Conservatory in Columbus, OH, the first I have ever seen. Does it bloom like a regular Hoya?

The Hoya is new to my little greenhouse, but I'm
very excited about it after reading the posts above.

I'm happy it is a plant which readily propagates, as
I enjoy sharing unique plants with my sister in law;
Katherine. My Hoya was purchased from a "Save us,
we're doomed for the trash can" sale for two dollars
at a local hardware store which shall remain nameless.

It came with but a tag reading "Hoya Carnosa Loop"
which I assume is not a variety, but an indication of
the style, which was bread tied to a loop stuck in the
soil.

I will leave it potted this first week but will transplant
after it recovers from sitting around unattended without
water in the store.

Thank you all for sharing such wonderful information
about this plant.

Karen Marie

I just inherited a Wax Plant that belonged to my grandmother. She passed away in 1964, 21 years before I was born. I have very little of hers and was very excited to have the plant! What was the most exciting was when it bloomed for the first time; I had no idea it did bloom and when it did I was in awe! It is very antique looking! The blooms look so fake, and I actually thought I was losing my mind the first time it bloomed! I had no information on this plant and no idea what it was until finding it on this website! I am so excited to learn all of the care information! When my step-grandmother gave it to me it was all wadded up on top of the pot; I was amazed at how long the stems are when I FINALLY got it untangled! Until three days ago it had lived in the same North facing window since my grandmother first got it, at least 42 years ago! It seemed to be doing well but I think it will do better if allowed to spread freely!

I am curious if it would climb on lattice work? My husband and I want it to spread but not climb into woodwork in our home. I thought this may be a good solution. I am also worried because it has about 5 main stems coming out of the pot, one of which is browning a bit. It has also lost a lot of leaves on a couple of stretches of stems. It has bloomed 2-3 times in the past year! Any help on these questions would be much appreciated! I would love to keep this plant going as long as it will!

I obtained some Hoya cuttings growing in the branches of a Jacaranda tree here in St. Pete, FL (Zone 9b), in the back yard of a vacant house I helped remodel. Fascinated by the way it survived with no soil other than whatever tiny amounts might have gotten got in the small crevices of the tree's bark and branches, I decided to try the same thing in my large oak tree in the front yard.

However, I decided to give it a bit more help, and wedged flower pots in three different places in the oak's branches, so the cuttings could at least get a boost by growing in soil. This was three years ago, and all three plants are doing great! They have sent vines all up and down the branches of the oak, and many bloom clusters hang down from above during the summer.

In dry spells I spray water up into the tree toward the pots, but other than that I never do anything for the plants, and they have survived the winters here (and the hurricanes last year!) just fine. I wish they had more fragrance like Hoyas I remember from my childhood, though.

We have a Porcelain Flower vine frmaing a window (4'x5') with southeastern exposure in Washington DC. We have had it for two years. It's lush and thick, grew quickly, but has had only one bloom. Any suggestions about how to make it bloom?

Mine never stop blooming, they are placed in a shaded area during summer and in my greenhouse in the winter.
Mine grow so fast I just can't root them all last year I filled a garbage bag full to throw away, broke my heart but just no more room in the winter greenhouse.
I got 3 small peices from a friend about 7 years ago, hers died from too much sun and not enough water. But of course she has new plants off of mine.
infact I found a single leaf last month that had fallen into a pot of aloe and it had rooted, so I had the save it! still living just no added growth as of yet! I love them, I would share!!!

I have three different kinds of this plant. I have the solid green leaf, the green and white leaf and the curly leaf. I put them on my porch every summer and the hummingbirds love them. If you look close you can see the nectar on the flowers. It looks like little raindrops just hanging on the flowers. I got this plant from my husband's great aunt also. When we sit on her porch in the summer we have to watch for dive bombing hummingbirds because they just love the nectar. It is one of my favorite plants because it is easy to start new plants and I love it when my friends see it for the first time and ask if it's fake.

This plant was a gift, one plant that I knew nothing about. I had mentioned it's uniqueness and all of the sudden I had small vine in my possession. It came as a cutting from a plant over 45 years old...I ignored it and it is now beautiful and a mystery to me. I have, after about 7 years, yet to see blooms, but think that it is a whole other "being" in my house. Now I am interested in finding out more, what does the pre-bloom look like? I may have blooms coming, it looks like a lighter sprout from a leafless area, but I do not know much about how the bloom appears. Can anyone help me?

I have a hoya carnosa that has bloomed once since I got it and I have had it for about 20 years. Someone told me that if you pick the flowers , it will never bloom again. I also have had the sticky problem when it did bloom, and it is quite smelly. It is really beautiful and does look like velvet. It has been in a south window and now I have to relocate it because of remodeling. I would appreciate any help you can give me to make it bloom again. Thanks. myfarmgarden

Take heart, teachaholic, this little beauty is worth waiting for. It might take a long time before it develops roots and puts forth growth. It will tolerate some direct sun and enjoys the outdoors during warm months. Let the soil dry at least 1" (2.5 cm) since it dislikes excess watering (causes leaves to turn yellow and fall off). Following bloom, do not break off flower stem for that is where it will bloom again. Feeding with time-release fertilizer is the easiest method. I keep my hoya carnosa in an east window in the winter (1/3 day full sun thru low-e glass window) and move it outside to a north porch, where it receives a tad of direct sunlight, after danger of frost is over. USDA Zone 8a, Summerville, SC
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[HYPERLINK@mrec.ifas.ufl.edu] recommends inserting new cuttings with the node close to the surface. There's a wealth of information at this site! I'm uploading two pictures showing 2 spurs/stumps from which new flowers will emerge. patp 5/23/04

Hi All, Im based in the UK but with the use of the net hopefully I can still share gardening tips. Ive just been given a pot with two leaves sticking out of the soil and told its a Hoya Carnosa. So here I am learning about it and hope to one day have a healthy flowering plant.

I thoroughly disagree with the above...this plant produces a boat-shaped seed pod, full of small, flattened seeds with a silken thread attached. It grows readily from seed, and will reach blooming size in about 2 years.
Two notes: it is, indeed, a mealybug magnet; aphids, too.
Also, the seedlings from my variegated plant produced only solid-green foliage.

I aquired my grandmother's hoya 10 years ago. It bloomed wonderfully for her in a East-facing window. It bloomed a couple years for me and then I spent several years moving around and I was not careful during moves, so many/most of the buds fell off. I can not get it to bloom again. I have repotted it, fertilized it, and now it gets pretty good sun in a south window. Any suggestions on how to get this to bloom would be appreciated!

I'm in Australia and I've had a Hoya that has lived in the same pot for about 15 years. I've never had to give it any "real" care and it doesn't seem to mind being slightly "neglected". This Hoya seems to flower randomly nearly all year round (much to the disgust of my mother who had it for years before giving it to me and never once saw it flower). Every now and then whenever the urge strikes me, I cut a piece off and bury it in whatever pot I have handy and viola! I have another hoya. Can't get any easier than that!

I have had a Wax Plant for probably ten years; it is quite large, hangs from the ceiling to the floor in front of a south window. It blooms most of the year. It gets a little sun and is watered once a week. The only problem is the leaves are turning a yellowish color.

My mother has had her plant for over 40 years and it is still going strong....blooms constantly. I have had many cuttings, some never bloomed. The one I have now, was in the north window of my house, the only place I had for it. It bloomed about 3 times a year. We have now moved and it bloomed a month after moving and keeps blooming almost every month.
I now have it in a northeast corner of my sun room. The flowers look like wax and smell "heavenly" in the evenings. My sister thinks they "stink", so smell is in the nose of the beholder. :-)

I just love propagating this plant. It's a no-brainer, actually. You can even leave a leaf cutting lying around in a humid place and return a week or so to find roots growing. It also keeps blooming on the same bud over and over, which is very nice especially if you have lots of it. It can also be very tolerant to heat once it adapts to the climate. I've discovered that ants love the flowers, though. I recommend placing the plant on a humidity tray when keeping it outdoors as the ants tend to nibble on the flower bud even before the blooms mature.

I'm interested to see the Hoya carnosa - I was given a little pot with about 3 leaves sticking up and told the name. This was very many years ago. I kept the thing, watered it and wondered about it. After about 5 years, it still looked exactly like it did the day I got it. We moved at this time and to my surprise, I saw a new growth. I immediately repotted it and it thrived and started blooming with flowers like pink velvet but one BIG problem: it STUNK big time.

Many people in my family are still growing it from starts from my plant. I now admire the pictures I took of it.

I have had my grandmother's original wax plant for over 20 years now and she had it for at least 30 before it was handed down to me. Today, I just finished repotting it for about the 5th time since it has been in my possession.

Last fall we moved and I thought I was going to lose the plant as all the leaves started falling off, but I kept babying it and sure enough it is growing nicely again. The plant seemed to go into shock about a month after we moved. This place does not have the same amount of light that our old house had so maybe that has something to do with it.

This is one of my favorite plants and it is my most cherished because it was my grandmother's. I have read that it can last up to 50 years somewhere; a great plant to own that can last for years and years.

I just wanted to add that mealy bugs love these plants. They are persistant and will lodge themselves in the apex, or just about anywhere. I wash my hoya and also use a systemic poison which is very effective within 5 days.

I have this as a houseplant -same plant fot last 10 years -I have it in a hanging pot - needs more sunshine in our thin Canadian sun - I have it in a protected south window, and plant did not bloom until I removed a window valance - now blooms almost continuously if there is enough light in the winter - otherwise only blloms in summer. I fed it half strength fertilizer for many years - recently switched to full strength fertilizer with excellent results in new leaf growth and blooms.

This has been the most undemanding of houseplants for me. It seems very forgiving of drying out without any damage. I've not seen any sign of insect problems. Seems to do best in a bright window. Avoid overwatering. I love the chocolate smell of the flowers. Be sure not to prune the long stems if you want it to bloom.

This plant is a must have for plant collectors. I'm in Zone 9 (California, U.S.) so mine is in a container under an east facing covered porch. I am slowly winding it up with jute rope. It gets just a bit of morning sun and not a lot of water which seems to keep it happy. The flowers clusters are so perfect, they look like a confection and this variety smells like candy too!

Seems to bloom, maybe, 10 months a year here in southwest Florida. Unlike many vines, it will adhere to a painted surface [with a little help].

This is a wonderful plant indoors or out. Make sure you keep it out of direct sunlight outside because it melts the wax that covers the leaves and flowers. It grows very fast if taken care of properly. I have started a plant by dipping a leaf in rootone. I have also made several plant from the large plant, after one good year of growth.

I have this as a houseplant but have not experienced the sticky substance described by "eltel". Blossoms yearly are creamy - beige and look almost plastic. Their mild scent seems to be like chocolate. A very interesting plant worth waking up to.

A word of warning for those planning to keep this as a house plant. The flowers are extremely rich in nectar which, because the flowers hang downwards, is liable to drop all over the floor! It is a very sticky substance which, when it has soaked into the carpet, can be difficult to remove. On stone plastic or wood floors warm soapy water will get rid of it.