Tropicals & Tender Perennials: If I Could Only Grow One Hoya, I Would Grow?, 1 by markroy68

markroy68 wrote:
What a great idea! I haven't smelled cumingiana yet , but soon maybe.
That's a really hard call- I think I would have to pick H. australis ssp. australis 'Brookfield' as my one pick, because:

1- the flowers are almost perfect- very elegantly shaped with long corolla lobes, pure white, and with a distinctive carmine stain under the corona. They stand out very strongly against the dark green/bronze leaves.

2- it smells fantastic, spicy and very sweet, something like cherries and ginger.

3- it blooms prolifically each fall, with dozens of umbels open at once, for around three months.

4-it is the stongest and most reliable grower and bloomer of any hoya I've grown, except for H. albiflora.

It may be cheating to mention, but H. pachyclada was a close second because of its great succulent stems and leaves, and the incredibly complex scent of its flowers, which has elements of rose, camphor, and nutmeg.