Hoya Fitchii

Day 219: Hoya fitchii is doing his thing again, and although the flower heads aren't as big as those on Hoya carnosa, what they lack in size is more than balanced by the striking colour. Hoyas come in an astonishingly wide assortment of foliage types, and a good selection of flower hue as well, although all on the "warm" side of the spectrum. Some produce open heads with only a few individual blossoms. Others may display clusters 4-6 inches across. Some species have flowers which emerge from leaf axils, but other varieties (like Fitch) carry their blooms on the ends of spurs. Foliage may be mottled, variegated, smooth, fuzzy, round and short, long and pointed, and it may climb supports, drape over its planter or creep along the ground. Some bloom once a year, and others may flower intermittently over three seasons. Not all of them bloom readily, though. Of the seven species in my small collection, two have never flowered, but I remain hopeful that some day, they'll surprise me.