Day 84: A few years back, a hot, dry summer and neglectful watering combined to kill the Hoya bella which was the pride of my small houseplant collection. My hairdresser no longer had the one which had been its clonal parent, but I had sent slips to several friends over the course of time, one of whom had also started slips to give away. She offered to send me the original plant I'd mailed to her, i.e., a piece of the one I'd just lost. I accepted the offer happily, and a few days later it arrived. When I opened the box, my enthusiasm took a nose-dive. She'd meant well, watering it heavily to survive postal handling, but she'd almost drowned the poor thing. I didn't say anything to her at the time, hoping that by transplanting it immediately into drier soil, it would bounce back. Even so, almost all its leaves yellowed and dropped, although the few which hung on gave me a dash of hope. I nursed the potful of stems for at least 18 months before the first small cluster of flowers appeared. It's still not fully recovered, but I am happy to say that with every blooming period, the clusters are getting bigger and more numerous. Once again, the bright stars shine!
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