Most hummingbirds will end up in a 12 step program after discovering them on your back porch.
Launch Gallery
Your granny may have called them wax plant or wax flush , but I most often hear them being called by their botanical name , hoya . Hoyas are traditionally acquire indoors as ahouseplant .
They have dense , fleshy farewell and star shape flowers that spring up in an umbrella shape . These creamy white and pinkish little flowers are unsubstantial looking . That is to say , they look fabulously phoney but your olfactory organ will tell you they ’re real . They have a sweetfragrancethat demonstrate up well in the eventide hours .

My hoyas were a gift to me from a friend when her granny passed away . While we do n’t have their precise birthday enter , we do know that my friend ’s grandmother grew them for about 10 years before she passed on . I ’ve had them for 9 yr now , so they ’re at least 19 age old and still growing stiff !
Like most of my indoor plants , my hoya love a little holiday in a sheltered surface area alfresco during the warm months . Because I endure inNorthern California , they ’re external for half of the year ( around April to the end of October ) . One of the good intellect to permit your hoyas hang around alfresco is that the darling little blossom literally ooze scented ambrosia in the heat . Mosthummingbirdswill finish up in a 12 step program after discovering them on your back porch .
Growing Hoyas

Although most gardener recommend regular watering for hoya , I tend to let mine get on the drier side first . you’re able to get off with placing them in an orbit that has low light indoors , but if you require to experience the nerveless flowers , you ’ll take smart lighter to promote bud ontogenesis .
If you ’re a neglectful nurseryman , hoyas may be the plant for you . They adore being etymon - trammel and reward you handsomely with blooms in a pot that hug them tight . Hoyas are handsome plant with vines that can grow anywhere from 10 - 20 invertebrate foot long . Enjoy them out - of - doors ; just be aware that they ca n’t take freezing temperature .
In thesummer , hoyas like it warm with bright light for unspoilt flower bud formation . In the winter , they care it cool ( 50 - 55 F ) , which is why in our mild clime , I have been able to over winter them out of doors in a protected domain . Not that this does n’t freak me out – it does . Which is why during an surplus insensate winter , I ca n’t stand it and contribute them indoors . They also like very little water during this sentence .

They ’re also stupid - easy to propagate . Take somestem cuttingsand pop them in water . When you see long roots , bulge them into a pot . The cut I ’ve taken from these plants are n’t unfeigned hoya “ sister ” because cut are actually a ringer from the mother plant . That is , they are the same age as the mother , albeit pocket-sized .
The reward to cut as react to come from these character of plant is that you ’re not wait a twelvemonth or two for them to develop their stalks to produce flowers . They ’re already mature plant that will have stalks all their own and will bloom the same year you take the press clipping .
The three no - nos with Hoyas :

1 . Do n’t move these guys once the blossom buds come along or they may drop ’em .
2 . Do n’t over weewee them – countenance the top of the soil dry out out a bit . Over watering encourage the leaves to fall off .
3 . Do n’t repot them until you just have to . I did n’t repot mine for seven twelvemonth ( in earnest , this was on purpose ) .

Hoyas are pretty darn intemperately to kill and are some of the well-fixed plants I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with .
all right Gardening recommend product
Razor - Back Potato / Refuse Hook

Fine Gardening receive a commission for items purchase through inter-group communication on this internet site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertizing programs .
spear-point Shade Gardening Shovel with sword - Reinforced Fiberglass Handle
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Hoya’s flowers look as fake as it gets. But hummingbirds know they’re the real McCoy.Photo/Illustration: Chris McLaughlin
Get our recent peak , how - to article , and instructional picture direct to your inbox .
Signing you up …
Related Articles
Low-Light Indoor Plants with Unique Foliage
Collecting Plants in Southern California
Growing Snake Plants Indoors
Indoor Gardening in Southern California
link all right Gardening for a free engaging live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned industrial plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …
When I spot a particular guts dollar mark cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I do it I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …
When we only prioritise plants we need over plants our landscape want , each season is filled with a never - terminate leaning of chores : pruning , pinching , tearing , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you participate the backyard of garden graphic designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip out on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a duet …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
Sign up for afree trialand get access to ALL our regional content , plus the rest of the appendage - only content subroutine library .
Start Free Trial
Get all over site access to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the print magazine .
Start your FREE visitation
Already a member?sign in


![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()




![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()














![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()

![]()
![]()
![]()




