If you’ve read about my flowering of Hoya maxima Red Corona, you know about all of the travails that I have faced over the years trying to flower an imbricate Hoya.  When I describe all of the expense and difficulties, I am really talking about this particular plant that you see below that I first bought from Gardino’s back in 2014.  The Red variety took less than 18 months to flower; the yellow took 5 years!

Both of my Hoya maxima plants are growing in a fully functioning ecosystem that is comprised of mosses, ferns, grasses, fungi and even some very tiny insects.  It is an extremely large mount that weighs over 20 pounds wet, and it is pretty wet most of the time.

Hoya maxima (imbricata) is a native of the Philippines, and is an epiphyte that relies on relies on debris and excrement of ants and other insects and birds to obtain its nutrients. I was reading recently in the book “A Collection of Philippine Hoyas and Their Culture” by Fernando B. Aurigue that the inflorescence of Hoya imbricata is odorless. I can positively say that this statement is completely false. The flowers of both clones of H. maxima have an unusually powerful perfumed fragrance that lasts for at least two days before it begins to fade.

It will never be able to live in the regular house, but if you are looking for an exceptionally challenging Hoya with great flowers, and a divine fragrance, you need look no further than Hoya maxima Yellow Corona.  If you want to read more about the entire experience of growing imbricate Hoyas, see my entry on Hoya maxima Red Corona.