Hoya Care Guide

Hoya is the dogbane family’s epiphytic climber: thick, waxy leaves on a trailing or twining stem, with umbels of porcelain flowers that carry scent and, on many species, a drop of nectar at the centre. Collectors buy it for the variation — a single genus offering silver-splashed foliage, felted undersides and near-black leaves — and for the fact that it flowers in a window rather than a glasshouse. The 77 lines in this catalogue make it the deepest genus we hold, and the one where a buyer can build a collection from a single supplier.

Growing Hoya

• LightBright filtered light; a little morning sun is welcomeAn east window, or a metre back from a south one, is the working position: a few hours of early sun tighten the growth and discourage the pale, stretched internodes that come from a shaded room. Move a plant into brighter light over a fortnight rather than in a single afternoon.
• WaterLet the mix dry to the top third between wateringsThe top third, not the whole pot, is the signal to water. Hoyas store water in thick leaves and will ride out a week of neglect, but a pot that stays damp at the root collar sheds leaves and roots far faster than it recovers. Water until it runs, then let the pot drain clear.
• Humidity50% – 70% relative humidity once acclimatised50% – 70% is a normal living room in most temperate climates, so no cabinet is needed once the plant has hardened off. Extra humidity speeds new roots and softer leaves, but still air around wet foliage is what invites spotting. A fan moving air matters more than a humidity reading.
• SubstrateChunky epiphytic mix — bark, perlite and coco coirBark, perlite and coco coir at equal parts is the whole recipe, and the coarse grade matters more than the brand. Hoyas root along the stem as well as at the base, so a mix that holds air lets the plant climb its support without rotting in the wrap.
• Temperature16 °C – 30 °C16 °C is the floor and 30 °C the ceiling; between those the genus grows steadily rather than in bursts. Cooler nights of 16 °C – 18 °C in autumn do no harm and are often what a flowering spur needs. What it will not take is a radiator directly beneath the leaves.
• PropagationTwo-node stem cuttings in damp sphagnumTwo-node cuttings root in damp sphagnum under a plastic cover in three to four weeks, and the extra node is insurance when the clone is hard to replace. Strip the lower leaves, let the cut surface seal, then bury the nodes and keep the sphagnum barely damp.

Growth is incremental and easy to read: a new pair of leaves, then a bare stretch of stem that will later throw roots and a flowering spur. The genus is forgiving about water — thick leaves buffer a missed week — and demanding about light and air, which is where most failures start. Given a coarse mix, a bright position and a support to climb, a Hoya will outgrow its pot within a season; given dense peat and a dim corner, it will sit still for a year and then yellow from the base.

Bare-root export and transit

Hoya travels better bare-root than most foliage, because the leaves hold enough water for the journey and the stem roots again readily. Plants leave the nursery washed free of substrate, dipped against fungus and bacteria, and wrapped at the roots in sterile Chilean AAA sphagnum that is kept just damp. The root wrap sits in an EPS-insulated box inside a corrugated carton, which holds the plant through 7 – 10 days sealed, with an 18 °C – 24 °C internal buffer against a cold hold or a hot tarmac. The nursery itself runs 70% – 85% RH at 18 °C – 32 °C, so the plant is hardened to a range rather than to one room.

Questions buyers ask