I think I first tried my hand at growing H. obscura from a cutting about 8 years ago. It was a really nice large cutting from Ric Morier in Florida. I assumed that it would be and easy grow for me, but I could never seem to get this one off the ground. It grew a little bit for me in the summer, but promptly died from root rot in the grow tent.

Hoya obscura was first collected by A.D.E. Elmer at Mount Bulusan, Sorsogon Province on Luzon Island, but can be found through out the Philippines.

Hoya obscura has been around the trade for a very long time, and the odd reason that I have never addressed this species before is that despite its reputation for ease of cultivation, I have never had luck growing it. I have killed it at least 3 times in the past and thought that I had given up on it, but a very nice, Hoya enthusiast from Vermont gave me a cutting with a peduncle on it over the summer, and it has just flowered for me!

It has recently come to my attention that my Hoya krohniana, which came to me as the heart-leafed lacunosa at least a dozen years ago is now oddly in demand. My leaves are always cordate, which means heart-shaped. Many of the plants sold now as Hoya krohniana Splash, Silver, Black leaf, Super Silver, etc. do not have truly cordate leaves, and if they start out that way, they revert to looking like a regular lacunosa-shaped leaf. Who thought that my lowly little heart-leafed lacunosa would be back in demand after all this time! The flowers from this morning:

Hoya sp. UT-033 has been one of my most reliable bloomers over the summer months and now that we are into fall, it still has not let up. Photo from this morning:

This repotting of Hoya vitiensis was a major undertaking. The vine had 3 or 4 runners with the longest being about 20 feet long. It required a massive untangling and then rewinding on to a much higher trellis. All of the old potting mix was washed away, and bad sections of root cut out.

Hoya imperialis used to be a drop-dead easy Hoya for me to grow, but even this tough easy plant has given me great difficulty over the past year or so. Here is one that I am trying to bring back around with a repotting. I used a net pot inside of a cache pot with this one to more easily see when it needs to be watered. Note the chlorotic leaves and lack of vigor.

I know that this is a really common Hoya, but it remains one of my favorites and I have had it a long time so I have tried to give it a new lease on life with a repotting using tree fern fiber, which I will cover in detail at a later date.

Hoya sp. EPC-610 aff. verticilata is another Hoya that just sat there all summer without growing a leaf or new bit of vine. It also got the jet spray treatment and a complete repot in hopes of bringing it back to life.

A word on the clear pots and why I have not used them much in the past. I always felt that roots did better in the dark, but with all of my root problems, I finally gave in so that I could better see what is going on in the pot. Another problem with clear pots is that they quickly green up from algae, making them worthless for viewing in a few months. I am hoping to combat this by keeping them in a dark cache pot.

Hoya micrantha is a Hoya that I have had for probably around seven years and while it is a very common plant without a lot of commercial value, I am attached to it. The plant did nothing all summer, so I pulled it out of its pot and found extensive root rot. I carved away as much rot as I could and repotted in new mix with a clear pot. We will see if that will bring it around.