{"id":6441,"date":"2025-06-12T13:12:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/?page_id=6441"},"modified":"2025-06-12T13:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:12:13","slug":"wanderings-june-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/resources\/newsletters\/neighborhood-gardener-june-2025\/wanderings-june-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Wanderings June 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"fullwidth-text-block\"><div class=\"container px-0\"><div class=\"row align-items-start\"><div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wendy&#8217;s Wanderings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro\">Whoya Am I?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/wendy_wilber2021.jpg\" alt=\"Wendy Wilber\" class=\"wp-image-2859\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>June 13, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What houseplant:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Has low watering needs?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grows as a vine or a trailing, spilling plant?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comes in many species and varieties with different leaf shapes, variegation, and textures?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thrives in hanging baskets or cascading from containers?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Has waxy, evergreen, semi-succulent leaves?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Produces fragrant, star-shaped flowers in pink, yellow, cream, orange, maroon\u2014or combinations of all of them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is easy to propagate and loves bright, indirect light or partial shade?<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you guessed hoya, you\u2019re right!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_bloom_wwilber400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Very close look at a pink hoya bloom, which is a cluster of small, starfish-shaped flowers.\" class=\"wp-image-6449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_bloom_wwilber400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_bloom_wwilber400x300-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hoya in bloom. Photo courtesy of Wendy Wilber.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Hoyas\u2014often called wax plants\u2014have completely won me over. With more than 500 species in the Hoya genus, it\u2019s easy to see why these tropical beauties have a loyal following. Native to Southeast Asia and parts of Australia, hoyas are epiphytes in the wild, growing up trees or trailing along forest floors. In our homes and gardens, they adapt beautifully to containers, hanging baskets or trellises. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.uga.edu\/some-plants-remove-indoor-pollutants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a study at the University of Georgia<\/a>, <em>Hoya carnosa<\/em> has been shown to be an excellent remover of indoor pollutants, so they are good for your home environment as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes them such excellent houseplants? They\u2019re low maintenance, drought tolerant (they prefer to dry out between waterings), and they forgive a missed watering here and there. They thrive in well-draining soil and prefer bright, indirect light\u2014but they\u2019ll also tolerate some shade. To propagate, simply snip a stem with a few nodes, dip in rooting hormone and put the stem in moist soil. Hoyas are generally pest-free, but occasionally can attract aphids or mealy bugs. These soft-bodied insects can be treated with insecticidal soap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Botanically, hoyas belong to the Apocynaceae family, making them cousins of milkweed. The flowers\u2014waxy, clustered and sweetly fragrant\u2014are unforgettable. I once stood under a sabal palm and couldn\u2019t figure out what was perfuming the air. Looking up, I saw a <em>Hoya carnosa<\/em> that had climbed 20 feet up the trunk, covered in over 100 blooms. It stopped me in my tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With so many to choose from, hoya collectors often treat them like trading cards. Here are six of my personal favorites:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_climbing_palm_wwilber300x400.jpg\" alt=\"Night-time photo of a flowering hoya growing all the way up a tall palm tree, covering the trunk\" class=\"wp-image-6445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_climbing_palm_wwilber300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_climbing_palm_wwilber300x400-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This fragrant hoya made its way up a very tall palm. Photo courtesy of Wendy Wilber.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hoya kerrii<\/strong> \u2013 Heart-shaped leaves, often sold around Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoya carnosa \u2018Albomarginata\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 Creamy variegated edges on thick green leaves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoya crassipetiolata \u2018Little Splash\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 Speckled, splashed leaves with delicate veining.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoya callistophylla<\/strong> \u2013 Deep green leaves with dramatic black veins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoya curtisii<\/strong> \u2013 Tiny, round, mottled leaves. Blooms best when pot-bound.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoya carnosa \u2018Compacta\u2019 (Hindu Rope)<\/strong> \u2013 Curled, rope-like foliage on long, trailing stems. I saw one at a plant show with five-foot vines\u2014and I\u2019ve been hooked ever since.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/plants\/houseplants\/hoya\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">growing hoyas on UF\/IFAS Gardening Solutions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/06\/hoya_kerrii_wwilber300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The green, heart-shaped foliage of Hoya kerrii.\" class=\"wp-image-6457\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Hoya kerrii<\/em> has green, heart-shaped foliage. Photo courtesy of Wendy Wilber.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":6413,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_post":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6441","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6441"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6465,"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6441\/revisions\/6465"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}