I really know nothing about the origins of this plant other than I think that it comes from Malaysia. If someone could enlighten me as to what the ‘Nara’ comes from in its name, I would be very grateful!
Other than dripping nectar, Hoya erythrina Nara with it cute, little, fuzzy, flowers gets my highest recommendation for all growers. It is so easy and floriferous that all everyone should have this one in their collection if they have the room.
If this plant was to have one drawback, it would have to be that the flowers drip huge amounts of clear nectar, which needs to be washed off, or you will develop sooty mold in short order.
I love the fuzzy flowers on this plant, and since its first flowering it has almost never been out of bloom, or bud. Sometimes I have had up to three peduncles blooming at the same time.
Hoya erythrina Nara flowered for the first time in October of 2018 and was the first plant to flower from the May order from Thailand that year.
Hoya erythrina Nara was grown in a series of net pots so that I could more easily monitor the water needs of the plant. It was an easy grower at least in my warm, humid grow tent. I don’t know how it would fare in normal household conditions.
I have flowered so many new Hoyas at so many different times that sometimes one will slip through the cracks. I posted a YouTube video of this plant’s first flowering back in October of last year, but never go around to putting it up here at Vermont Hoyas.
I got Hoya erythrina Nara as a very small rooted plant back in May of 2018 from AH Hoyas in Thailand; it came as part of a 12 plant order and acclimated quickly to my warm humid grow tent.
A few days after this flower opened the color has changed slightly and made it a little more yellow, which is what I have been looking for in a Hoya imperialis for years.
I have never taken a cutting from Hoya vitellinoides as I just can’t bear it. The plant is so magnificent that I hate messing with perfection.
Temporary tent greenhouses are an economical way to get your plants out of your house for the summer. I suggest setting them up in partial shade to reduce the need to mist your plants and to prevent sun-scald. Shade cloth can also be used to shade your greenhouse. The biggest reason to use a greenhouse rather than just hanging your plants directly outside in to prevent over watering from too many rain showers. Covered outdoor porches would work well too.
Moving the plants outside for the summer accomplishes a few things. It cuts down on my electricity bill; keeps it cooler in the house during the hottest months; allows me to do a thorough cleaning of their grow tent homes, and keeps the mess of flower drops and nectar drips to the outside. The drawbacks are you have to be hyper vigilant about bringing pests back inside in the fall.
Below is a photo taken inside my new 8X10 greenhouse as it begins to fill with plants:
