I feel the need to pass on my experience with a hoya I bought on eBay last year. I purchased 4 small plants of H. 'Chelsea' from a Florida vender about a year ago. The plants came with mealybugs and try as I might I could not get rid of them. About January this year I was at the end of my rope with the mealies on 'chelsea' so I stuck the entire hanging basket outside ON the gutter and figured when it was dead I would toss it, clean the pot and move on.
WELL, sice I put it outside we have had 5 days of snowy conditions, 17 nights of BELOW freezing temps and over 30 days of the high temp under 45 degrees. On top of all that we have had rain, rain and more rain and as I said above, the pot hung ON the gutter and water just poured through the plant. It was also in the direct afternoon and evening sun.
Why am I telling you this? Because I took a look at 'chelsea' a few days ago and realized that it had lost some leaves, the ends of each stem were dead and it has some burnt areas on several leaves but this little bugger is still alive! Alive with firm stems and leaves. AND since moving it back into the green room, it has already started putting on new growth. It always did grow as well if not better that any of my hoyas.
So, if any of you are looking for a more "hardy" hoya, I strongly recommend the one selling on eBay as 'chelsea'. Do beware of the mealies :~) hence my BTS question on the other post.
God bless, -joanne
hardy hoya
Same here, Joanne...if one seems to be failing, or misbehaving, I stick it outside by a tree...more often than not it perks right up and begins to grow!!! Too bad about the mealybugs... I just found them on H. camphorifolia ... covered!!! with dead mealybugs. YAY!!!!!