With all the beautiful types of plants out there, what attracted (addicted) you to hoyas? What keeps you motivated to collect them? Are you true to hoyas,(!) or fickle, and collect other types of plants, too? Thanks! Karen (aka Barbara Walters)
Why hoyas?
What got me started and what kept me going can be "summed" up here: http://www.myhoyas.com/how%20it%20all%20started.htm
Christina
Very interesting reading Christina!!
I became fascinated by all of the variety of forms of the same plant!!! And, what seemed to be the challenge of getting them to bloom. I love the enthusiasm of the plant!!! I am somewhat with Susan in that I really like the different leaves, those that turn red in the light...the sometimes awesome flowers! I also got hooked on all of the controversy about the names...as if it were a old sailing novel and I could see these people crammed in their tight quarters, hoarding their herbarium species and writing about them in dim light...the personalities involved in the hoya world. I also enjoy the lessons learned everyday!!.
Carol
I got hooked when I saw a hoya bella in bloom. I couldn't believe the little flowers. They just seemed so fake! I loved it!!
Heather
While I enjoy my hoyas, I also grow other plants, cactus, adeniums, plumerias, and epi's, Inside the house, I have several ZZ plants, snake plants and philodendrens. Outside I have daturas, brugs, pineapple plant, hibiscus, stapelia and loads of cactus that are planted in the ground.
Blessings,
Awanda
Living in a place where people grow tropical and desert plants outside their houses year round for all to see makes one tend to become interested in lots of different plants. When I first moved out here my neck was always snapping around & staring at things growing in peoples landscapes. I've also always liked houseplants but never have had much luck with them. I love to visit the nurserys and over the years have collected many different kinds of plants. I get on kicks....(like for instance, I got on a palm tree kick one year & now I have 7 different kinds of palms growing here. Then I got on a hibiscus kick & have over 20 different ones of those too.
Like I mentioned, I never really had too much luck with house plants (except sansevierias) though, UNTIL I got a couple of hoyas. Suddenly I was able to keep something happy. Also they made great patio and outside plants as well. Of course, I only knew of a couple different kinds back then, but when I actually found out there were tons more of them, I was really hooked.
Granted, some are a lot touchier than the common ones to keep happy, but once I got started, there was no going back. Ha.
I love the diversity of the different kinds of plants they are and the beauty of many of the leaf patterns and shapes. The flowers are just unreal looking to me and a definate plus for holding my interest.
Many of them will even bloom in a quite shady place or room. How many plants can you say that about?
Oh...I still have lots of different plants, and am interested in my other collections too; and I still go off on other "plant kicks" but I must say, there is just something about these hoyas that attracts & holds my attention more than any other group at this time. I always come back to this collection as my favorite.
Marcy
I got started when I found out carnosa wasn't the only Hoya. Once I saw how many different kinds their were and how beautiful some of the foliage was, I just went nuts! I also love, love, love the blooms - not only do they smell wonderful, but they really do look like little delicate wax cake decorations. Also, I found out over the years that I really had to work at killing them ...
Obsessed,
Ann
I'm like Susan. The many different types of foliage is what hooked me. I used to have a collection of 95 African Violets but burned out on them after a few years. Then I collected and grew roses - even made a few trips to Tyler, TX to get a dozen or so.
Relocating and being in a rental situation changed my focus to container gardening. I had a H. compacta and a H. carnosa for several years and recently decided to find out more about them on the computer... and I found you guys! My fate was sealed! I am now totally and completely infatuated with Hoyas.
But I have to admit that Brugs are another love. I'm working on acquiring as many different Brugs as I have Hoyas... I'm a "man on a mission"!
Barb