I received Hoya griffithii LT 08-026 as a rooted cutting from my good friend Julie Kennedy from the UK in May of last year (2024). She in turn had received it a few years earlier from Torill Nyhuus from Sweden. I was very excited to grow what I thought was a yellow flowered clone of Hoya griffithii. The plant arrived in very good shape despite spending a long time in the post. I potted it up in a 7oz clear plastic cup using coconut husk as a substrate.

Hoya griffithii is a cool grower that is fairly widely spread in India (Assam, Himalayas), China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan), Laos (Louang Namtha province), Vietnam (Dien Bien and Quang Ninh provinces), and Thailand.

The accession number for Hoya griffithii LT 08-026 was used by Lao Trip, a collector who I believe acquired this plant in 2008.

Hoya griffithii LT 08-026 was collected in Laos near Louang Nam Tha, which is a town that lies just that lies just 10-12 miles from the Chinese Border.

Just a couple more photos of Hoya carmelae before we move on to something else. I think I must have gotten my first cutting of this species back around 2014, which I promptly killed. This is one of so many plants that languished in a peat-based potting mix, but took off and thrived in coco husk chips. I think that you can say that I produced this massive specimen in about three years.

I made a video of the first time that I flowered Hoya carmelae back in 2022 after trying to bloom it for years at that point. The plants were so tiny, and unimpressive. Well those days are over, and I think you would be very hard pressed to find a nicer specimen then this one hiding in a basement grow tent in Vermont. It is 30 inches high and covered in buds. I pulled the plant out and photographed in on the dining room table this morning.

I can’t seem to get a good photo of this one; the plant is engulfed in flowers and perfumes one half of the house! It really is a great plant.

Sadly I decided this week to take a few cuttings and to dispose of this giant Hoya Sunrise. I love the plant, but it finally got to large to handle, and it was too difficult to try to keep watered. I am going to try to grow it as a trailing basket the next go round. Here are a couple of photos before I said goodbye:

It is probably time to start this Hoya over, as it never wants to grow a new leaf any longer and only wants to flower. It is too bad as the leaves are quite remarkable on this plant.

I’ve said before that I believe that the flowers of Hoya carmelae are the jewels of the Hoya world. Here is a quick photo that I snapped this morning, but there will be much more on this incredible plant in a few days.