Hoyas Galore!

Day 337: While I can't claim that all four of these were in bloom simultaneously, they were all in flower over the last fourteen days! Different Hoya species bloom on different schedules. Some flower intermittently every six weeks or so, with longer periods of rest during their "off" season. Others only put on their displays once or twice a year. Hoya bella (lower right) was the first in this batch, and the flowers were just beginning to fade when H. ilagiorum (lower left) opened. Ilagiorum remained open as H. fitchii's clusters (top right) began to form, but the real surprise was when good ol' standard Hoya carnosa variegata joined the parade. It had never bloomed for me before. Its cluster is palm-sized, with individual flowers fully 3/4" in diameter! Fitchii had not fully faded when it opened, a succession of Hoyas in bloom like none I've experienced before. All four species are purportedly of the "intermittent" type. Whatever I'm doing, I must be doing it right.

Hoya Ilagiorum In Encore

Day 269: Hoya ilagiorum is giving an encore performance with a single dense cluster of flowers which seem to be getting redder with each successive blooming period. An intermittent bloomer, it's been six weeks since the plant was in flower, a schedule it will probably keep for at least one more early autumn display. Once the summer flush is complete, it will enter a rest period for a few months. Many Hoyas have a specific seasonal bloom schedule, but my three favourites (H. ilagiorum, H. fitchii and H. bella) flower several times each year. Reputed to be almost indestructible, I have managed to kill one or two over the years as have a few of my friends, but generally speaking, Hoyas are tolerant of neglectful conditions and even benefit from their planting medium being allowed to dry out. In any event, ilagiorum is thriving under my somewhat casual care, and I would recommend it for anyone who wants a Hoya of a different colour.

Hoya Ilagiorum

Day 230: While Hoya fitchii was trying to impress me with massed blooms, Hoya ilagiorum was preparing to enter the competition for "Most Colourful." Ilagiorum took its own sweet time to form and hold its first flowers, but once it figured out the procedure, the inflorescences have been becoming larger with each successive flowering period. They have also become richer in colour, more like the "red" depicted in the catalog. Although Ilagiorum only put on two clusters on this round, they were quite fragrant. Both species flower on woody spurs which must not be removed since new flowers form at the spurs' tips. This is characteristic of many (but not all) Hoyas.

Hoya Ilagiorum!

Day 187: Stop the presses! Breaking news! Hoya ilagiorum has finally held onto buds long enough for them to mature into flowers, and what a show it is! Several times now, this plant has attempted to set buds, only to drop them before they were a millimeter in diameter. Some hoyas can be very fussy to bring into bloom. In fact, I have several which have never flowered, ironically including the old standby, H. carnosa. Something about my "care and feeding" regimen doesn't suit it, although H. fitchii blooms regularly and profusely right beside it. I was worried that ilagiorum was going to be problematic when the buds failed to mature. In fact, this umbel took me entirely by surprise when one day recently when I noticed its cluster of pentagons, still tightly closed. Hoping for the best, I've watched it closely for the last ten days, nervously watering it when the soil went dry. I figured if anything would make the buds drop, watering would do the job, but it held them. Monday , they burst into full-blown stars. I don't know what I did to make the difference, but I'm hoping for a repeat performance somewhere down the line.

Ilagiorum

Day 325: I am so excited! Hoya ilagiorum has produced its first spur, and it has a dozen or so little bitty buds! This is the red-flowering version (H. ilagiorum may have red, orange or yellow flowers), if the seller's description holds true. Presumably, it was started from a cutting, so it should be identical to the parent plant. It is said to be an "intermittent" bloomer, flowering several times a year like H. fitchii and H. bella. I've had the plant for six or seven years, and had kept it hanging in an east window until last fall when I rotated plants and relocated it to a northern exposure. Was that the factor which made the difference? Fitchii prefers the north window, but bella is not particular. Perhaps now that ilagiorum has settled in, it will become as prolific as the others.