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rennfl

Hoya bella in bloom

rennfl
12 years ago

Here are some pictures of my regular Hoya bella, all taken this morning. Again, please bear with me, as I am still thrilled everytime I get one to bloom.

I received this plant as a cutting roughly two years ago, it first bloomed that summer, with one penduncle. Last year it bloomed a little better, and still more blooms this year. The plant has been trimmed a few times as well to start other plants. Right now it's all growing off to one side of the pot.

Thanks for looking.

And finally the whole plant.

Renee

Comments (28)

  • cpawl
    12 years ago

    Renee, Just beautiful,bella is so dainty.I find it hard to get nice photos of bella so way to go for getting such nice pic's.

    Cindy

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    I have also hacked my bella quite a bit and it is definitely one that immediately divides its branches from wherever it is pruned. I can see this in your full plant picture, as well. I was new to Hoyas when I first got bella, so for a while, I pruned it like it was a Gesneriad, in order to produce a fuller plant. Well, it responded by branching just like I expected it to, but if I had it to do over again, I would have left it alone and never taken a cutting from it (lol) because even though it is "full", it has a bunch of branches that are splaying out in the craziest way.

    Nice pictures. ^_^

  • puglvr1
    12 years ago

    Isn't bella blooms just beautiful? I really love how elegant it looks. I can't seem to grow the 'variegated' bella ...seems like they always decline for me. Thank goodness for Regular bella and weebella its the only ones I've had good luck with. Good job!

  • peanut01
    12 years ago

    Renee-

    Your plant is beautiful. Remind me, are these blooms fragrant? Your picture looks great. I typically just try to avoid getting anything too offensive in the background of my pics. lol

    -David

  • geosdee
    12 years ago

    Renee,

    I forgot to tell you but if you don't have lacunosa 'Royal Flush' and you can get into town on 23rd st Lowes, they have a couple there, I was there yesterday afternoon. I started to send you a couple cuttings of mine but why cuttings if you can get a whole pot.

    Dee

  • rennfl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you everyone.

    Pug - my variegated bella doesn't bloom as well as this one does, but actually it grows better for some reason. It gives me about half the number of penduncles and I've got it just about filling out a 10 inch pot now. Weebella I don't have, I'll have to keep an eye out for it though.

    David - I've never detected a frangrance on this one. I've tried morning, afternoon and evenings.

    Dee - Thanks for the heads up. I rarely cross the bridge, but I think I'll try and get over there sometime this weekend. I usually go to the Lowes on this side of the bridge.

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    /David My bella is fragrant. You have to stick your nose close. The fragrance is stronger in the evening, but detectable at any hour. It is exquisite. Whenever I smell it, I wish I could wear the scent myself.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    I just got a bella today at my local nursery, I squealed when I saw it. It has lots of peduncles that are soon to bloom. I don't want to trim it right now until it is done blooming but I have been reading the comments on this discussion and I'm curious as to whether or not there is a right or a wrong way to trim a bella or really any hoya. Like, how many nodes back to you cut, do you cut on an angle, blade vs. clippers, is there something special you need to do to protect the cut end. Most of my gardening experience is with orchids and I know that they do have protocols for the questions listed above.

    Also, one last just to go with the following picture, you can see it in where I want to keep it it has a south facing window on its left and a bank of windows about four feet away that surround my window seat that face south and east. Will this be enough light for the bella?

  • puglvr1
    12 years ago

    That is really NICE and healthy Bella banannas!! May I ask you where you got it from? Are you in FL?

    BTW, as far as trimming hoyas, I trim about the same as I would any other plant..I just trim between two nodes and if I'm lucky new growths come between the area near the leaf where I trimmed. You can cut as small or large as you want...but at least 4 nodes IMHO. I've cut them both ways, sometimes at an angle and sometimes regular straight cut. I don't see any difference. I try to use the sharpest clipper or trimmer I have just so it makes a clean cut. I try to wipe them down with a bleach/water solution after I use them to keep bugs and or fungus from traveling from one plant to another.

    Thanks for posting and good luck.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the advice pug.

    I am not in FL. I live in San Diego.

    My first encounter with Hoyas was at my sister's home in Denmark two years ago and it seemed that just about everyone there has them, they are sold in the grocery stores even. She had two compactas trained on topiary structures that were covered in blooms and she had two huge carnosas and another one with dark flowers and speckles on the leaves but the name escapes me at the moment. When I got back home I looked and looked but to no success. Then ironically at the grocery store, I saw what I though was a hoya labeled house plant and was in a really sad state. I just got it growing and looking healthy. I think it is is a carnosa but knock on wood it will flower and it will be easier to id. I try to do most of my plant shopping at a local nursery instead of the box stores but I would always look, I have been desperate to get a hoya but not enough to mail order yet, (might still get there)! Luckily the last two times I went to my local nursery (Walter Andersens) they have had hoyas there mostly compacta but it looks like they are branching out.

  • golden_ca_2000
    12 years ago

    Very pretty bella you have there - nice and healthy looking! Cant wait till mine flowers...

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    Very nice bella! It's just beautiful. How close is it to the southern window?

    I really only "prune" my Hoyas for trades, but as mentioned above, I did prune my bella quite a bit. Pug's advice is all correct, I would just add that bella seems to be faster and more reliable than other Hoyas when it comes to producing new growth from trimmed nodes. Your plant looks quite nice as it is, but if you do decide to trim it, I would just keep in mind that when it branches, bella will frequently throw out a vine growing at right angles to the rest of the flow. I'm not sure why it does this, but it makes it a real nightmare to move around because it becomes entangled in its surroundings in an unpredictable way. Plus it's not very attractive. I think I might prune off those weird branches once mine is done flowering and see if it grows something more dignified in their places, but hopefully you would catch such a branch early on.

    I find small sharp sterilized scissors are usually the best tool, although I prefer a razor sharp pocketknife when I can get away with it. I just cut as close to the node as possible, because I hate those little dried nubs that get left behind otherwise. As far as how often, definitely leave more nodes than you would with a Columnea or something like that. Maybe 7-9 nodes versus 2-3, so it has ample branch to incline downward, since bella's vines are quite stiff. And I wouldn't prune every branch either, just strategic, well-spaced locations, or it will start looking like a broken-legged spider.

    Don't forget to water her A LOT while she's blooming. It seems like it only takes a couple of days for the leaves to start looking dessicated during this period.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    GG,

    Thanks for the compliment, I had nothing to do with it until now so we will have to see what it looks like in a year or two. I feel lucky for the find and don't want to screw it up.

    It is about a foot from the window at 45 degree angle from it on either side.

    Also thanks for all the advice. I will water it when I get home.

    Thanks,

    Anne

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    I think that sounds like a great spot for it, then, and I'm sure it will be twice as beautiful in a year. ^_^ Mine used to grow in a southern exposure, and it liked it very much.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    yay, I'm glad that you think so! I like it there on that table.

  • rennfl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'm so impressed by that bella banannas. It's wonderfully healthy looking.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    Thanks Ren! Fingers crossed it will stay that way.

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    Just an update on my new bella. She has bloomed!!! Thanks to all for your kind words, advice and support.

  • kellyknits
    12 years ago

    Oh!!!! All of the bella pictures are beautiful! Truly a favorite!

    Kelly

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    That's SO GREAT, banannas! Congratulations and nice photos. One of my German aunts was visiting this weekend so I showed her bella going nuts w/the blooming and she was like: pffft boring. So, I guess it's pretty commonly available in Germany, unless she was trying to make me feel bad. ^_~

    I just don't understand why people can't fake more excitement about my flowers. I fake excitement about their stupid babies!

  • rennfl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    GG - you made me laugh. But I agree with you. About once a week I make my hubby and sons go outside with me to ooh and ahh over my blooming plants.

  • mel_10
    12 years ago

    GG - I laughed so hard when I read that. I completely agree. Thankfully, the hubby pretends to be super excited when I tell him about how well my plants are doing. :)

    Mel

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    GG - I do know that hoyas are like weeds in Denmark so maybe that is true in Germany as well, our version of supermarket orchids. Not everyone gets the attraction to hoyas, which I personally really don't understand. I agree if I get one more picture of my newborn nephew sent to me today, I'm happy for my sister but I am running out of ways to skirt the fact that the kid looks like an alien with a dent in it's head!

  • greedygh0st
    12 years ago

    Maybe she would stop sending them if you started photoshopping Scully and Mulder into the pictures.

    Renee and Mel, your husbands are onto something there. Everyday support is more important than support during crises, in predicting how happy couples are and how long their relationships last. Which I think is psychology's way of saying our partners could be out drinking the entire time our mothers were in town so long as they routinely fake excitement about peduncles.

  • patrick51
    12 years ago

    Bannanas...thanks for the laugh...I absolutely cracked up reading your post. I remember when I was working, most of the women in the office would place pictures of their kids/grandkids on their desks, and would show me every picture they took of the kids....I always found that annoying...so, I started putting pictures of my dog all over my desk...but, they never got the hint!! Again, thanks, I really needed that laughter!! Fondly, Patrick

  • urraca
    12 years ago

    What a beautiful site of your bella, and also thanks to you and Patrick for your wounderful humor, its made my day I could not stop laughing for a while.

  • puglvr1
    12 years ago

    You guys make me laugh...GREAT stories and oh SO true. We've all been there having to look at pictures of relatives or friends babies to the point where you want to just scream,lol... Thanks for the laugh as well! Very funny!

  • banannas
    12 years ago

    Thanks, I'll be here all week!!! Try the fish.

    And thanks to all of you for the support and great advice to a newbie!!!

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