Thank you to everyone who helped in any way with the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society’s Fall Plant Sale last week; to everyone who brought plants, worked at the plant tables, answered gardening questions, and of course, to everyone who came and bought new garden treasures! This is still a fine time to plant new additions to our gardens; in fact, it might be easier on the plants because they can settle in without the high temperatures of just a few weeks ago.
I was doing some homework about a beautiful plant, and I’d like to tell you about that. Some dear friends recently gave us a stunning hoya plant, and I was so excited to have this new addition! We have a hoya that was in Sweet Pea’s house; it was old when she got it, and that was about forty years ago. It sat contentedly in the same spot for its whole life with her, and when it came to live with us, I tried to find a spot that was similar. It has been in this same spot ever since. So now the new hoya will sit in this spot as well, and hopefully it will be happy there, too.
Mom’s hoya plant was a hoya carnosa, with long stems and uniform oval, thick leaves. Our new hoya is the hoya cornosa compacta, called the Hindu Rope Plant or Krinkle Curl. The leaves have the look of crumpled green paper, and are close-set on the cascading stems. It may take years for the plant to bloom, but I will patiently wait! There are hundreds of varieties of hoyas.
Did you know that hoyas are called the “wax plant” not only because of their waxy leaves, but their stunning little flowers as well. Flowers are usually white or pale pink, (but some varieties have deep pink or red blooms) and they have a very heady, sweet fragrance. Another little factoid, hoyas are considered part of the milkweed family. But some are succulents, too. So we learn another new thing!
I read about some tips for caring for a hoya plant. We shouldn’t water them until the soil is completely dry. In winter, especially, be careful not to overwater. They like bright, indirect light from an east or west window. Please note, “indirect”: not in direct sun. Here’s an interesting tip, that we should water our hoya in the morning, because then the moisture will be absorbed during the warmer hours of the day. We should not pick off old flower blooms, because the hoya will bloom again on these stems. We should also not move or even touch the hoya when it is blooming, because it may drop the blooms. Keep them away from drafts, either hot or cold.
And I know this from Mom’s hoya plant, they like to be cozy in their pot; we might think it is potbound but they like to grow this way! If you do think you need to re-pot your hoya plant, don’t put it in a much larger pot: one size up is probably sufficient. Do this task in the spring or summer. We can use a balanced fertilizer meant for houseplants during the spring and summer. Hoyas are not usually afflicted with pests. They make a wonderful, long lived plant and part of the family!
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, October 18. Our special guest speaker will be Sonja Pawliw telling us about growing terrariums. Everyone is welcome!
Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca, and have a great week!
