Has anyone here tried growing this plant?
I've hear it's easier to grow than H. bella - a plant adore but that I simply cannot keep alive. I've killed so many of them on my quest to smell those gorgeous flowers it makes me grieve. I even bought a full 6-inch pot last summer and killed that! So I"m very interested in this (new?) related species.
Julia
p.s. hope I got the taxonomy correct!
Hoya lanceolata ssp. bella 'Paxtonii'???
Julia,
I have it listed as H. bella lancelota sbsp. lancelota.
I find it easier and faster than H. bella. I've been pretty lucky with H. bella , but not so much with the variegated species. For some strange reason, the H. bella albo marginate (IML 1537) has also thrived, whereas, H. bella variegata have all died.
By all means give it a try!
Mel
Soo....it's not "Paxtonii?"
Do you keep it moist, Mel, like other thinner-leaved hoyas? What's your secret?
Julia
I'll let someone else chime in as I may be wrong or missed something along the way. I make every effort to keep my list current, however, make no claims to have it totally correct.
I grow all the bellas in bright light, but, no direct sunlight. As well, I make every effort to keep them evenly moist. Truth be told, I treat them no differently then my other Hoyas other than keeping them pot bound. As the plant matures, I find that it will begin to loose leaves at the top of the pot. Rather than fussing over it, I start a new pot and always keep a spare plant.
There's three different plants here. Hoya lanceolata has smaller, more closely set-leaves than bella. Bella is officially a subspecies of lanceolata, but most taxonomists seem to agree that it should be its own species. They do look a lot alike to the naked eye, except the leaf size difference. The one called 'Paxtonii' seems to be a lot like ssp. bella, but with larger, wavier leaves.
Paxtonii IS easier to grow- bella is notoriously fussy. I have a 4" of 'Paxtonii' that grows very well, and has made a few peduncles, but not boomed yet. The flowers look a lot like those of lanceolata and ssp. bella.
In the picture are H. lanceolata ssp. bella 'Paxtonii' (left) and lanceolata (right). The plain old H. lanceolata ssp. bella, which is the one most people have, looks sort of in the middle of these two.
I love the looks of the lanceolata on the right ... very interesting foliage. I also LOVE that chest they are sitting on!
There are so many different looking hoyas. Some really unique looking ... all very new to me because I had no idea there were so many. I'm used to only seeing the common k. princess and compacta which is all I've ever seen for sale around here.
The chest is cool, isn't it? It was made by a San Francisco artist, her name is Nicole (? spacing on the last name), a transplant from NC. She makes boxes and small chests from salvaged wood from CA and NC.
I'll see if she has a website.
Oooh, would love to browse her site if she has one!
Here it is. Look under "boxes".
http://riproost.com
Thanks Mark!
P.S. Julia- you got the taxonomy exactly right! You can have a cutting from mine at the end of summer, when it's had a chance to grow a bit, unless you already ordered one.
Wow, thanks for your generosity, Mark...but I can just order one off eBay, instead of having you cut yours...it's too little! I wonder if the flowers are as large/perfumed? I love the translucent pink corollas (?) that look like hot pink plastic....
Mel, you must have the magic touch!
Man...I had the most beautiful pot of H bella...just gorgeous. Then i decided to trim it and make more and the whole lot EVERYthing died and I haven't been able to grow it decently since then. I did find that the albomarginate form thrived a whole lot better than the regular one....and the 'wee bella' grows like a charm. Oh well, win some lose some...:)
Carol, what are the "wee bella" flowers like? Are they also "wee?" The flowers are the only reason I grow this hoya - they are in my list of top 5 hoya flowers!
Julia
Mine hasn't bloomed yet...but I reckon they are 'wee'... There is some discussion that this is H. dickesonia (sp?)....at any rate...it is really sweet!
So are bella and lanceolata synonymous? I'm confused! This site has a great comparison of the different varieties:
http://www.hoyor.net/en/subspecies.php?art=lanceolata
Julia
It is confusing!
There are a bunch of plants in this complex that all look similar, mostly different leaf sizes and shapes. Some are:
Hoya lanceolata: small pointed leaves, looks sort of like a dischidia.
Hoya lanceolata ssp. bella: bigger leaves, fussy grower.
Hoya lanceolata ssp. bella 'Paxtonii' form: even bigger, wavy leaves, good grower.
Hoya dickasoniana (syn. weebella): very small, closely set leaves.
Hoya engleriana: I think the smallest leaved Hoya, some the size of a rice grain.
Hoya chinghungensis: looks similar to bella.
All of these have small, flat clusters of pure white flowers with translucent purple coronas, and a very sweet scent. None of them twine, the branches all arch or dangle.
Thanks, Mark. I'm going to start looking them up. I wonder if they have the same color corona, of if the shades vary, as well as the size of the flowers.....I wonder which is the easiest to grow/flower? THAT's the one I want!
Julia
Julia, I would start with the Hoya lanceolata ssp. bella 'Paxtonii' . It grows and blooms faster than any I have grown. I have plenty if you have any problems finding one.
Carol, remember how excited we were when you found those 2 bella baskets? It was like winning the lottery to find such a treasure.
Ok, will do, Mel! I envy you people who regularly find hoyas at your local Lowes/Home Depots...no such luck out here in San Fran.
Julia
Yes...HAHA...I do Mel. Now after the horrors I have gone thru...I dread it when I see them.....i know i will be them!!!!