Hi Folks,

Which species of Hoyas and Dischidias have people in Southern California (and similar climates) been growing outdoors year around? I've been interested in epiphytic plants for quite some time now but it wasn't until last year that I really started to branch out into Hoyas and Dischidias.

Here's a partial list of plants that I had outside in Glendale this last winter. One night it got down to at least 32F. All of them are mounted and a few are covered in plastic. I plan on propagating the ones covered in plastic so that I can try divisions under shade cloth.

Dischidia bengalensis - The base of mine rotted but I'm remounting it in my terrarium. A few of my friends are growing it outdoors.

Dischidia cleistantha - Strong summer grower but each winter around half of the new growth dies back. This last winter, because of the frost, the die back seemed especially severe. Here's a picture of one of mine wrapped around my Ficus "bonsai"...

{{gwi:525874}}

Dischidia formosana - pretty great outdoors

Dischidia hirsuta - covered in plastic

Dischidia ioantha variegata - seems marginal outdoors

Dischidia milnei - slow but no winter dieback

Dischidia nummularia (large leaf type) - covered in plastic. The large leaf type which is probably from Australia seems more tolerant than the small leaf type from Malaysia, Singapore, etc. I also have a variety which is from China.

Dischidia rafflesiana - covered in plastic

Dischidia ruscifolia - covered in plastic and under shade cloth. Seems marginal.

Hoya australis ssp. keysii? - fairly succulent, yellowish and fuzzy. A bit of dieback but should be pretty good grower once better established.

Hoya australis ssp. oramicola - didn't seem too bothered by the frost but it very gradually began to drop its leaves. Now it only has one or two leaves left...not sure if it's going to recover.

Hoya australis ssp. not rupicola - purchased as rupicola but it's not nearly as succulent as the plants I've seen as rupicola. Leaves are fairly dark green and elongated. No problem with the cold.

Hoya bella - covered in plastic but shouldn't have a problem with more exposure.

Hoya cumingiana - covered in plastic but a friend lost his this last winter. He'd had it for several years but recently and accidentally decreased its drainage.

Hoya excavata - killed by the frost

Hoya fungii - has already sent out new growth

Hoya globulosa - just starting to send out new growth

Hoya kerri - no problem with the cold. Several of my friends are also growing it outdoors with no problem. Probably needs quite a bit of summer heat though so might not work for people along the coast.

Hoya khoniana 'Eskimo' - strong summer grower but unfortunately the freeze killed it. I gave some rooted plants to three friends with greenhouses so I should be able to get it back. This time I'll know to bring it indoors if there's a chance of frost.

Hoya lacunosa - mostly fried but I just stuck a few sad pieces in my terrarium.

Hoya litoralis - didn't seem to do that well to begin with...so kinda hard to say. I just have a small piece left covered in plastic.

Hoya loheri - strong summer grower and didn't even seem bothered by the frost

Hoya meliflua - killed by the frost

Hoya nummularioides - had around 5 established cuttings. Lost a couple...doesn't seem like a strong grower.

Hoya polyneura - seems pretty solid

Hoya serpens - no problem with the cold...a bit on the slow side.

Hoya shepherdii? - no problem with the cold

None of my "conclusions" are really definitive. Perhaps I just ended up with an especially tender clone...or maybe the plant just ended up in the coldest location in my garden. Or maybe the plant wasn't established enough.

A few others being grown outdoors by friends...

Hoya carnosa
Hoya linealis
Hoya obovata
Hoya pubicalyx

Here are some that might work based on their distribution...

Hoya acuminata
Hoya acuta
Hoya aldrichii
Hoya amoena/verticillata
Hoya angustifolia
Hoya arnottiana
Hoya bhutanica
Hoya burmanica
Hoya chinghungensis
Hoya crassifolia
Hoya edenii
Hoya erythrostemma
Hoya fusca
Hoya gonoloboides
Hoya griffithii
Hoya kanyakumariana
Hoya krohniana
Hoya latifolia
Hoya lobbii
Hoya manipurensis
Hoya micrantha
Hoya motoskei
Hoya nicholsoniae
Hoya oblanceolata
Hoya oreogena
Hoya ovalifolia
Hoya pachyclada
Hoya pallida
Hoya pandurata
Hoya parviflora
Hoya pauciflora
Hoya pottsii
Hoya pseudo-littoralis
Hoya retusa
Hoya revolubilis
Hoya rigida
Hoya teretifolia
Hoya thomsonii
Hoya vaccinoides
Hoya weebella/dickasoniana
Hoya wightii

I'm looking forward to hearing the experiences of other people who've been growing Hoyas and Dischidias outdoors in Southern California. I'm definitely interested in trying new species so if anybody in my area is interested in trading...please send me a message.