Hey all - I'm relatively new to DG and new to this site. I have been "lurking around" reading all your posts for awhile - and you all seem like the nicest bunch of people on DG! Anyway, I've begun collecting hoyas, thanks to my sister, who does post on this site BTW (!) Thanks to her addiction, I NOW have the addiction (IS it contagious??) I have about 13 types of hoyas ( I think). Here's my question for any to answer: how long have you been collecting? I've seen many of your posts and pictures, and your hoyas ALWAYS look stunning and you all seem to have SO MANY of them! (Disregard jealous sigh). Anyway, this site is an inspiration, although it does not help my new addiction!!! Karen
Hoya addiction - is it contagious?
First of all - welcome to the place for hoya addicts!
Yes, it IS contagious and so far no cure has been found... but, who cares?!!
I've collected these beauties for about 10 years. However, I've gotten more than half of my 100+ hoyas during the past 3 years. You've got to have more and more and more...
Christina
This message was edited Oct 2, 2005 4:40 PM
Welcome to the world of hoya addicts! I have been addicted for 2 yeats and am reaching close to 100 hoyas. You will find it is hard to pass up a nice hoya and there will always be a list of ones that you are looking for or would like to add to your collection....
Karen
Glad you joined in!
Oh yes, Hoyas are most definately addicting as well as contagious and I agree with Christina. There is no cure.
I have been collecting for around 3 years. I have lost count of how many I have. (I am afraid to count)
Welcome to this fun group of addicts!
Hello. This is my second year of the hoya craze. My collection of hoyas is small, but growing. They entice and seduce you into wanting more and more of them. ;)
My problem is that I also collect cacti, sansevierias, and philodendrons. Trying to reach a happy medium with all four of these collections in one large room for plants is becoming a problem.
Shirley
I wish there was a cure for the hoya addiction...I lost count after one hundred and sixty plants.
Me? 3 years and not counting! I have too many hoyas which I grow in/on/up/around/from trees, in a greenhouse, from my roof eaves and on shelves off the back of the house. AND...I will be ordering more soon from Australia. This is the healthiest addiction of any!!!
Carol
Welcome!! If you find a cure for this addiction, please don't tell me about it!
I have been collecting Hoyas for over six years now, but I lost about half of them over the last two years (I was too busy taking care of my two elderly cats who scampered over the rainbow bridge in the last six months), so I am busy restocking.
I am glad you have joined us.
Ann
Well, thanks to all of you! Clearly, if it is an addiction, it IS a good one to have!! I'm so excited to meet all of you!! One more question for anyone who cares to respond...if you had to list 2 or 3 hoyas that were absolute MUST HAVES in your collection, what would they be?? There's so many out there, it's almost overwhelming, so as I go hoya-hunting, it would be awesome to have some guidance! Thanks again, and I'm glad I found this forum!!! Karen
Hi Karen,
welcome to the forum. I have had my grandmothers H. carnosa for years, but started collecting others about 5 years ago. I go through stages, where I have enough, then I want more, then one get's a bloom, then I want some more. I even have a hard time leaving regular ole H. carnosa at the nursery. I only have about 50 hoya's, and really that is enough. Really. Did Carol say something about an order? Oh here I go again, gotta go call my therapist. Addicting, give me a second to think, Yes. But a good one to have. I know you will enjoy yourself here, I sure have.
Tami
Karen...that is SUCH a hard one!!! You like big leaves or small leaves and plants? You like color or do you like fragrance or both? Do you have time to wind the vines around a trellis or not?.....
Could I list 50 I couldn't live without?
Carol
I have collected since late 1970 and have about 250 spices. I like the big flower. Also, like white flower.
Rosita
Karen:If I think of must-haves for someone just starting out, I think of the carnosas. There's a solid green that's very pretty. Then there's the Krimson Queen and Krimson Princess that you normally see in the stores (I'm beginning to think there are different clones of these, as well). Kerri, the heart shaped leaf and Obovata the thick round leaf (grows fast). There's Obscura with a different type of leaf that grows quickly and flowers easy. My personal favorites are the pottsii clan;would love to collect the pottsii family (since Carol said there were lots out there) and the publicalyxs. Also, fungii is a good one for the beginning. It has large leaves and grows well. Good Luck in your search and happy addiction!!
Susan
One of my "must haves" would be H. kentiana. It's a good beginner plant, strong grower, and the flowers are beautiful.
Susan
Hi Karen, welcome to the forum. You are right , this group is a wonderful group of people . I have been collecting for over 3 yrs. now, and if there was a cure, I would be first in line for it. Like other's, I am not just content collecting hoya's, but love all kinds of tropicals and am big into brugmansia's. Unfortunately my greenhouse is so full of hoya's that I don't have much room for anything else.
But I do love them and get a great deal of pleasure out of them.
Patricia
Yes, there is a reason why a lot of nurserys carry the "common" carnosa and pubicalyx ones. They are fast growing, easy care, very forgiving, can take cooler temps, AND they bloom easily and beautifully.
If you are just starting out to collect a few hoyas, by all means get the various cvs of those. Then, after one blooms, you will then have the affliction that WE all have, and you can branch off into some of the more unusual ones. It won't be a choice, but you won't mind, and it's good for your mental health. :-)
Marcy
Thanks all for your help!! This forum is so cool - I just love being able to run to my computer and check in with other "hoya addicts!!" Thanks for all your suggestions - I will continue on my hoya hunt to build my collection. Who knows, maybe in ten years or so, I can be an inspiration to someone like you guys are to me!!! Thanks! Karen
One of the only drawbacks with the carnosas is that they can be slow to flower....I think, for almost instant gratification that the H. lacunosas, H. obscura, H. heuschkeliana, H. DS-70, H. pusilla, H. walliniana....they give such satiisfaction and sense of accomplishment with their fragrant blooms!!!!
Of the H. carnosas, I like H. motoskei...the leaves are great and when it blooms it is a showstopper!!!
THANKS, AlohaHoya!! That's REALLY helpful! I do like instant gratification! How exciting - a direction for my hoya hunt!!!! Karen
Hi, just checked in, nice to have you joining the forum. My advice on what is a must have, whatever is available! If I see one in the store that looks different, that is a must have! Ha ha! I've been collecting for about 2 years, I have about 90. I would say 65 I have bought from Carol, Alohahoya. Hoya bella is what got me hooked. That one has bloomed for me since the day I bought it. I would definitely suggest that one.
Heather
Hi Karen,
Glad to hear you have been enjoying this forum, I think its great and have learned so much from everyone. As far as my favorites, I am very much into leaves, and few of my favorites based on leaves are: clemensiorum, (Carol describes this as having Jurassic Park leaves, and it's true they are very prehistoric looking) villosa, polyneura, kanyakumariana, and macrophylla variegated. For flowers, a few favorites are kanyakumariana, bella, nummulariodes, obscura, lacunosa, & wallichii. I am very obsessed with Hoyas and thankful to have a hubby who tolerates my addiction.
Carol, I really would like to see your top 50 list.
Deb
Me too, Carol!!
Don't forget the faithful bloomer Hoya australis. I would say that is a must... along with several others of coarse!
Christina
Deb, have you bloomed H. kanyakumariana? I am impressed! I am still waiting.
My all time favorite is H. lacunosa. (the heart shaped lacunosa to be specific). H. curtisii and H. serpens are also favorites. AND, H. linearis, H, retusa, and H. archboldiana rate right at the top of the list too.
Actually, my favorite Hoya is usually the one that is blooming!
Mel....my kankakumariana bloomed for the first time this year. One little bloom on the side of the pot close to the window. I would have missed it if I had not taken the plant down to spray the other side of it. It smelled very nice.
My serpens also bloomed this year. Also just one bloom, but I was so surprized that it was big for such a small plant.
Now australis 'Mrs G' has 2 big blooms about to open. Wheee...
This was a very unusual and "bloom filled" year for me.
Marcy
Hi, Karen! I am also newly addicted, but seem to have become stuck in the H. carnosa vein. I have H. carnosa 'Krimson Queen', H. carnosa (green form) per Carol, H. compacta variegated (is that label right?) and 3 of the bright, solid green clone of the compacta. And as of this evening, I acquired THREE 6" baskets of H. carnosa 'Krimson Princess' for $2.61 each.. yep.. healthy as all get out and not a bug to be seen. Under $3 for them! Is that not too kewl?! Of course, I'm anxiously awaiting a shipment from Carol, which will about double my collection.
So.. hello, my name is Barb.. and I'm a Hoya addict!
Of course hoyas aren't addicting...I can stop anytime (hands shaking and a wild look in my eyes).
Blessings,
Awanda
Awanda, do you need my therapist #? Breath.... In through the nose deeply....good.... hold...... now slowly out through the mouth. Repeat.
whew.......... Thought we lost her there for a minute
Y'all are TOO much. What IS this thread about, anyway? Oh yes...
Christina...you are so right. H. australis is a topper! Especially the ssp. Tenuipes...wild bloomer for me and the scent is heaven!!!
OK...will write my top 50 and why....(please, can I make it 25?)... I do just adore the H. lacunosas and H. heuschkeliana and I have a bloom on my yellow form that is too too fragrant...more so that the pink form, I think.
That mys. hoya will be open tomorrow...and I think I am in lust!
Carol
Hello, Barb!! Glad to hear there's more "hoya addicts" like me out there! And what a GREAT deal on those hoyas!! I think you'll find this group of people to be really nice, and really helpful! I, too, was stuck on the h. carnosa vein, until I asked some of these nice people what types they enjoyed - now I've got a shipment coming from Carol with some "new" types (for me). Great forum - but I'm still hopelessly addicted - happy hoya hunting!!
And Carol, I still would be interested in your list - whether it's 50 or 25!
Karen
P.S. I think my h. bella has two bloom spurs - woohoo!!!
This message was edited Oct 4, 2005 7:11 AM
I know of one member of DG that has a song she sings to her plants to make them flower !!!! Sure wish I could remember the words ---I really think it works for her.........HEEE-HEEE
Oh I agree with Carol on Heuschkeliana. I won this Hoya from Mel and received it yesterday. This plant is outstanding. I did do the Hoya dance over this plant. Just packed with blooms and the butterscotch smell comming from this Beauty is wonderful. I will be needing another one of these plants. :0 and they have yellow??? Who has a yellow one for sale? I need it... Def. a must have for any collector. Would love some more growing info on her. light , water, ?? And Dearest Sandyc.. the song goes if your happy and you no it grow a bloom.. And if I were you I would not be telling secrets.. I know a few of yours dear.
Tami
I always greet my hoyas with "Good Morning, Ladies...everything OK today? Whose Blooming?"...
Being a hedonist, I like the easy hoyas and the hoyas that smell good...and some that just knock my socks off with their blooms! Some of my faves are:
H. heuschkeliana (the yellow is becoming a fave over the pink....but I grow both in my shower and they love it!-so di I)
H. cv. Sunrise (H. lacunosa X H. obscura)
H. lacunosa (all of them!)
H. sp. Kunming Kina
H. pubicalyx (s)
H. motoskei
H. calycina
H. obscura
H. verticillata
H. magnifica
H. cv. Ruthie and her sister cv. Monette
H.s onychioides, archboldiana and the hybrid of the two because of the leaves and flowers.
H. davidcumminsii
H. kentiana
H. cv. Christine
H. cumingiana
H. bella (easy to grow for me....)
H. sp. Philippines
H. DS-70
H. cembra
H. cv. Iris Marie...these last two are in full bloom now and WOW...the fragrance!!!
All of these, for me, give me the total combination of delights...others I like just for leaves, or just for growth or.....
I am starting to grow Dischidias too....and I find them fascinating!!! They grow a bit drier, usually...
I know I have forgotten some favorites....it is like asking a chocoholic which is their favorite chocolate!!!
Carol
This message was edited Oct 4, 2005 7:18 AM
Oh wow, thanks Carol!! As a "newer kid" on the block, you can't believe how helpful a list like that is! It gives me direction to hunt hoyas - now my favorite pasttime!! Karen