Hoya microstemma (NS11-145) blessed me with flowers that opened on Christmas Day 2024. Supposedly the flowers smell of vanilla, this might by true if grown in a small glass terrarium, but in my large grow tent I could not detect any scent from my very tiny blooms.
The plant once properly rooted was pretty straight forward. I would consider it to be a medium slow grower, but in a few months I was able to up-pot it to a clear 5oz cup and give it a little trellis. It formed its first peduncle 6 months after rooting from a cutting and began developing buds immediately. Note below how incredibly tiny these buds are two days prior to opening:
I received a small cutting of Hoya microstemma (NS11-145) from Julie Kennedy in May of 2024. The cutting was rooted but spent too much time stuck in USPS limbo in a distribution center in New Hampshire so it arrived in not so great shape with the roots rotted off. I managed to re-root the cutting in water, and planted it in coconut husk chips in a 3oz clear plastic cup. Below more bud photos.
This particular clone of Hoya microstemma was collected by Nathalie Simonsson in 2011 in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Her specimen was found in the Southwest, whereas Schlechter’s specimen from1909 was found in the Northeast part of PNG, where it has not been found again. The forest where Nathalie found her plant was scheduled to be logged, so who knows if it is still able to be found in the wild? Below the buds of Hoya microstemma (NS11-145):
Hoya microstemma was collected on September 14, 1909 by Rudolf Schlechter in what was originally called German New Guinea. Today it would be called Papua New Guinea, and it was found on the Northeastern section of the island in the Torricelli Mountains, at about 800 meters in elevation. Below the leaves of Let’s Talk About Hoya microstemma (NS11-145):
Hoya sp. IM-08 Is A Small Miracle; it has been flowering with zero sun through some of the shortest days of the year. Here it is on the windowsill a couple of days after Christmas.
I have grown a large number of the campanulate flowered Hoyas, and of all the species, and subspecies that I have cultivated, I believe Hoya danumensis ssp. Amari to be the best of all of them. I say that based on ease of care, combined with the spectacular size and coloration of the blooms. I think it stands above all of them!
I have restarted Hoya leucantha many times in the relatively short time that I have had it. Three times I have had 3 foot tall specimen plants that looked wonderful, but soon fell to one malady, or another. My latest iteration of this plant is as a hanging basket which is hanging in a kitchen window with no artificial aids and very little light. This plant managed to pull off a blooming feat that few other Hoyas could do; it flowered at the winter solstice in late December. Here is a not so great photo of this small miracle:
First of all this plant likes it on the cooler side. My basement tents for several reasons have become much cooler than in the past. They now only get up to about 22 C during the light cycle and down to 15 C during the dark cycle. Humidity is very high ranging from 70% to almost 100% at night. I am using coconut husk chips with a little perlite as a substrate. I generally soak the substrate ever 7-10 days or so. Mites are kept under control by spraying periodically with PureCrop 1. Lighting is with indirect LED grow light fixtures. I will be the first to admit that providing these ideal conditions are going to be difficult or impossible for many people to provide, but use it as a guide to do what you can. It took me 12 years to get a plant that I could be proud of!
I have kept Hoya calycina ‘Stargazer’ for at least a dozen years now. It came from my good friend Julie Kennedy from Scotland. While I have had lots of great floral displays over the years from this plant, I have struggled mightily trying to have a healthy plant. The plant I believe is one of those Hoyas that is very susceptible to the ravages of the invisible flat mite. The midrib of the leaves with get ashen colored and the leaves would deteriorate and get sickly looking. I have had so many of these sickly looking plants over the years, that I have come very close to getting rid of the plant for good. The only thing that has stopped me is the insanely beautiful fragrance of the blooms. Tomorrow I will give my take on how to keep this one healthy. Below my beautiful specimen:
