Hooked on Hoya

My affair with hoya started only last year, when i was given a plant by a plant breeder friend.  She was an authority in hoya then, before she left for the other dimension. Then in a garden show in January this year i was again given two plants by a collector who happened to be a colleague of another hoya authority, also a friend. The two plants are too prolific and even without much care and attention give me continuous flowering. I brought one to the province while the other was left with me in the city. They both flowered immediately after the previous blooms finished. The first photo below is the sample of its flowers. This species got me hooked.

Hoya buotii. I am so delighted with the fussy corolla and the bigger size of the individual flowers. They are very good subjects for photography.

The immature flower buds of Hoya buotii

leaves of the Hoya buotii

I then realized that more than 100 species are native or endemic to the country, but they are mostly not anymore seen in the wild. They have already been in the hands of collectors, who mostly are based in other countries. Many of the species can just be sourced from these foreign nurseries, at already a high price.  Many hoya enthusiasts, hobbyists and conservationists are now collecting them with ultimate goal of putting some specimens in sanctuaries, if not back to the wild. That is also my purpose if ever my attempts in growing them will succeed.

 However, an absentee gardener has a big problem. I live in the big city and it is already fortunate if i can see the plants once-a-month. Normally, it is even beyond a month. It is a bit easier during the rainy season because they can be left on their own. My sister is forced to care for them during the dry season, when water at our area is a big problem.

 Earlier acquired plants already develop some spur, as shown above. That is where the blooms arise. Unfortunately, i am forced to disturb the vines when training them to be growing in a circle, so they will not grow upwards clinging to fruit tree trunks. These spurs were stressed by that disturbance, and they become dormant.

 The last garden show in the city, there were lots of small hoya rooted cuttings for sale. Many of these only have two leaves but already with roots like the Hoya imperialis above. One species normally have a few clones, each clone show a different bloom color.

Aside from buying them, there are also a few given by friends. A Hoya Exchange Group is also active in helping everybody get their desired species. This way, everybody increases their collection.

I devoted one whole Saturday in making planting media and planting. The above photo shows my newly acquired plants. I put them under the fruit trees to avoid direct sunlight. They prefer bright light from filtered lights. This arrangement is simulating their normal environmental conditions while still in the wild. 

Another view of my finished job, after a long day. They will just be watered by my sister when normal rains are not available. I hope by next year all of them will already show their blooming secrets. And i further hope that many gardeners will be envious of my display and themselves be lured in collecting hoyas.

Our World Tuesday

Nature Notes