This is one of my H.pubicalyx 'Red Buttons' blooms
Red Buttons bloom
what a gorgeous bloom Marcy.....does it smell as pretty as it looks?
Sandy
This is the spiral thing I made for it to climb up. I got the idea last year from some others on these forums that had made them.
Marcy
This is a closer shot of it climbing. You can see more of the blooms in this one.
As for smell....to me all the pubicalyx smell the same and it reminds me of baby chicken mash. Ha Ha. Altho that is not a bad smell. It is just not a perfume or fruity smell like some of the other varieties of hoyas.
Marcy
The spiral is a great idea.....very similar to what Lee Valley sells.....you can see so many blooms.....It looks like it is outside too with the reddish tint to the leaves......YOu sure grow nice blooming hoyas Marcy.....I am still reeling from your huge blooming lacunosa in the other thread...just gorgeous!
Sandy
Yes, most all my hoyas except newly rooting ones or something I am babying along spend the summer outside here. The pubicalyx stay out there all year round. That is why I put this one in that big thing.
All these things pictures of blooming things were from the summer. Nothing is blooming right now except that australis and one other small hoya that I can't think of the name of right now. I will look it up & post that one tomorrow.
Breathtaking!!!! Thank you for posting such a stunning beauty Marcy! Ü
Fantastic! I think you and all the others who get to keep them outside most of the time have better blooms and lots more growth than those who are stuck indoors.
Marcy...you have MANY more blooms on one plant than I have! Strangely enough, I think they are so happy climbing/twining/spiraling that they bloom more. I really like your spirals...how did you make them? Height? Middle pole is made of what? What grade wire did you use?
Beautiful!!!
Carol
Mmmmm....I love the colour of that one. It looks like it should smell like grapes. I have no idea what baby chicken mash smells like. lol Do all the pubicalyxs smell like that? cuz I have a couple of baby ones.
Sandy
Oh Marcy - that's GORGEOUS!!! I am going to print these pictures out and prop them up next to my little nubby cutting so it'll know what it's suppose to look like when it grows up! You sure know how to grow hoyas!
Yeah - what's baby chicken mash??
I love H. pubicalyx Red Buttons. I had nice deep colored blooms in the spring. In the heat of the summer it bloomed again but they were off color. I especially like the new leaves as mine are almost burgandy in color.
Plant is great.. blooms are to die for! And that spiral thing is so close to what I was trying to make it's downright scary! You have the most beautiful Hoyas, Marcy. Good growing!
Barb
Marcy, you have beautiful hoyas!! And yes, how did you make that spiral thing? And I'll join along: what is baby chicken mash??? Karen
Marcy, I feel like a broken record, but your hoyas are gorgeous! You been holding out on us? It's nice that you saved pictures to post until they bloomed. It's a nice treat for us with winter approaching!!
Heather
Gosh, I made that thing 2 years ago after reading on one of the forums about some others making them. I think it was Lydia that had instructions. Anyway, I used hallow copper tubing for the pole. Altho it did turn green at first and look weird, it eventually weathered along & just looks rather rustic now. The pot is plastic and I picked it up at Walmart real cheaply. It came in 2 parts. I couldn't figure out how to secure the pole in it so I nailed 2 pieces of wood trim together in a cross like & then drilled a large hole in the middle to set it in. I forget what gage that wire was but I do remember I had trouble finding some that would uncoil into the spiral & still be strong enough to hold the vines. It affixes to the bottom then just pulled up (it spirals naturally as you pull it up), & then wound around & stuck in the top hole. (you can see in the picture). Then I put that whole thing in the bottom of the pot & filled it with soil. I actually put 3 plants in there (2 red buttons, & one australis). That was not too smart. The pubicalyx have taken over & it is way too much plants for that pot now.
I have no idea what I will do after this year as it is now over the top and back down and reaching for every other plant in it's vacinity. Ha. I have to keep unwinding it from my windchimes too.
Here is a pic of when I first planted it.
Do you need to treat the wood with anything? Wondering if it would rot after too long. Does that effect the hoyas?
Heather
I didn't treat it with anything at all. I'm sure that pole is well secured with roots by now, so even if the wood rots, it won't matter. It hasn't seem to have affected those plants at all.
Oh, and baby chicken mash is a ground up grain stuff that you feed to baby chicks. It has something sweet in it too (I think molassas). It smells like sweet grains. If you have ever walked into a mill in farm country when they are grinding grain, you will know the smell. I have several regular carnosas that have that smell too. However, I do have 2 carnosas that have the sweet chocolatey smell that others have referred to. I don't know what makes the difference in the flower smells as they look alike in every other aspect and receive the same care.
Marcy
OK...I looked up where I first heard of this spiral thingy & it was Earline's in Pa. This is her webshots pics of it. You have to scroll down a bit & then you will see she did it with a Krinkle 8. It looks like she used copper tubbing for the spiral also. I SHOULD have because the wire I used really isn't strong enough for the vines as they grow & multiply.
http://community.webshots.com/album/82122854UfkBgZ
Oooooo - I LIKE that! Think I'll give it a shot for my australis and a few others!! Cool - thanks for the link, as well as the inspiration, Marcy! Karen
Looks fantastic, Marcy! Thanks for posting your pic and the link!
:) Donna
Marcy,
This color is just stunning.. And I like your spiral, I know what my DH can keep himself intertained with this winter.