Hoya imperialis

Hoya imperialis is a bit difficult for me to know well. It has been with me for almost 2 years and yet i still cannot understand what it fully wants to perform fully. I am aware that it hasn't received its full needs, there are three umbels that always start with many buds. Many of the buds abort at different stages of growth. But at least there still are a few flowers that continue to open. I guess it doesn't  like water more than it needs, at the same time it doesn't want to experience even a short dryness at all. In other words, it is difficult, just difficult.

But when it opens, even just only a flower will get your heart, and it really is awesome! Moreover, it stays there for 8 days. My sister says it looks so mysterious, to the brink of a bit scary at night because it is different-looking among most of the hoyas. The diameter is around 2 inches without stretching those corollas. For me, it just is other-worldly!

Macro Monday 2

Today's Flowers

Ruby Tuesday Too

Floral Friday Fotos

Biggest of my Hoyas

Despite the many hoyas in my collection and the number of flowers blooming at the same time, it seems incomplete without this! If one is different, or getting too much of your time, or taking so much of your patience, it becomes very important. Just like the rose of The Little Prince, this hoya seems to be mine.

Its first blooming was in December when i was out of the country. It gets working at once and produced buds immediately after the first 3 blooms fell. That was the start of my weekly commute for home because these buds might open at my back. Unlike other hoyas in my collection, its progress seems so slow. Maybe that is because the buds are big, so they are very conspicuous. But i really felt more than 2 months from buds is very long enough.

corona of Hoya imperialis

I almost forget going home when my sister called saying i must go home now, as in NOW! Hoya imperialis already opened 1 flower. I suddenly went home last Saturday and 3 buds already opened when i got home.

 another angle of the corona

Will you not be enticed by this sight?  It is one of the biggest hoyas, and this originated from Papua New Guinea. The diameter of one flower is about 2 inches in that normally curved form. 

After taking a lot of photos, i can't seem to be satisfied that 2 of them remained tightly closed! I arrived home at 1:00pm and at 5:00pm those 2 buds are still very hesitant to open. My sister said they might be still due the following day. I can't agree on that, so i tried putting pressure to the center of the bud, and it cracked, even with a crackling sound. I repeated the process to the other one and it followed unhesitatingly. I jokingly said that it can do a "Caesarian section".

Here is the final picture of all the flowers fully open. You can see that right one still newly opening. But who will blame me for my impatience! They are so lovely impressing the onlookers as a group. I don't think someone will contradict me on that.

Macro Monday 2

Macro Monday

Ruby Tuesday Too

Floral Friday Fotos