HOYA OR WALLFLOWER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 15

HOYA OR WALLFLOWER

This is one of the most beautiful of all climbing plants but unfortunately is hardly hardy enough to thrive in the open round about Wellington; it cannot survive any frost. It is a native of Queensland. Grown under cover in a glassed-in verandah or in a greenhouse it produces clusters of waxy pink flowers very freely. The plants may be grown either in the soil or in pots or tubs. During the flowering season and afterwards when new growths appear plenty of water should be given but in the winter water should be restricted. Hoyas do not require much shade nor an atmosphere too closely confined.

A common mistake made by many growers is the cutting of the flowers with the foot-stalk, as flowers are produced year after year on the same stalks as well as on young growths when the plants are doing well. Hoyas root readily from cuttings and even from leaf stalks struck in sandy soil in pots. Frequent; spraying of the plants in the evenings during hot weather is of great benefit to the plants, keeping the fleshy leaves clean and fresh.