Most hummingbirds will end up in a 12 step program after discovering them on your back porch.

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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 :

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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 ) .

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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 .

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hoya flowers

Hoya’s flowers look as fake as it gets. But hummingbirds know they’re the real McCoy.Photo/Illustration: Chris McLaughlin

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