Hoya ‘Raspberry Sun’ was sent to me as a cutting from a very nice and knowledgeable grower from Michigan in mid to late 2022. At the time, it had yet to be given a name and came with the pod number MB 1247. All I knew about it was that it was a Mike Bernardo cross between Hoya erythrostemma and Hoya erythrina. It quickly rooted and grew well enough for the next several months. It budded up and flowered for me for the first time in November of 2023.

Initially I was not particularly impressed with this plant as the leaves were kind of bumpy and had a slightly yellowish cast to them, but something happened as this plant aged. It became much more beautiful; the leaves are now nice and dark with lovely speckling, and the overall form is gorgeous! The flowers are another feature of this hybrid that improves greatly with age. The first few times this plant flowered, the blooms were only on partial umbels, but now with maturity the blooms form full balls that are quite striking. There is no scent and unfortunately it is a heavy dripper of nectar – at least when grown in a high humidity grow tent.

Most of the Mike Bernardo Hybrids are worth searching out and Hoya ‘Raspberry Sun’ is no exception. Give it enough time, and it can become a gorgeous specimen plant that you can be very proud to have in your collection!