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chezron

Hoya with the best fragrance

chezron
11 years ago

I have fond memories of my Mom's Hoya blooming and filling the house with the most pleasant and intense fragrance. This was an amazing plant and a small cluster of flowers were intoxicating. The flowers dripped when it bloomed. I think it was a Hoya carnosa, but I don't know for sure.

We finally moved back to California and bought a Hoya. It has been a year now and it is blooming. I am so disappointed by the lack of practically any fragrance. I have even tried sniffing at other times of the day and night, in case it only puts out fragrance at odd times. No fragrance! Do you know of a Hoya with lots of perfume?

Comments (22)

  • Klea
    11 years ago

    My lacunosa smells quite strongly and pleasantly of perfume - kind of reminds me a bit of how marzipan smells. I think it's lovely, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It flowers willingly too - not a hard plant to grow. :) Carnosa also smells strongly, and the fragrance is very nice.

    What kind of Hoya do you have? Do you have a picture of it or of it's flowers?

  • emt23
    11 years ago

    I have not gotten to that point yet for the best or strongest fragrance, but my lacunosa smells like fruit loops cereal to me. The blooms are small and fuzzy yellow, it likes to be on the dry side for me. ~ Mary

  • golden_ca_2000
    11 years ago

    My favorites for fragrance are
    H. Lacunosa
    H. Shepherdii
    H. tomatensis
    H. Australis

  • Denise
    11 years ago

    Had to pop in and put in my 2 cents worth. (Been crazy-busy lately...)

    For me, I have to stick my nose right in carnosa to smell it. I would agree with Klea that lacunosa is right at the top of the list for both strength of fragrance and how universally appealing it is. I don't think I've ever heard someone say they didn't like the fragrance of lacunosa whereas some of the others are very subjective.

    I love the fragrance of verticillata (another easy bloomer). I've been pleasantly surprised by the strong and pleasing fragrance of micrantha, whose flowers are even tinier than lacunosa. I like the sort of musky fragrance of the pubicalyx cultivars.

    Chezron - are you growing your Hoya outside? I think they're almost impossible to smell when they're outside.

    Denise in Omaha

  • tropicbreezent
    11 years ago

    Mine are outside but the H. australis ssp rupicola fragrance, like a sweet talc, carries a good distance. That's probably my favourite. The H. densifolia carries quite well too but the fragrance is spicy sweet. My H. lacunosa and publicalyx don't have much fragrance at all.

  • greedygh0st
    11 years ago

    I'm most partial to the spicy/musky perfume of sp. Estrella. It is only noticeable at night, but it reaches right across the room and grabs you by the collar. If you could bottle it as a cologne, every man should wear it - very sexy! (Is that wrong to say about a flower?)

    Hoya lambii and finlaysonii are very pleasant too.

    And I get a ton of gastronomical pleasure out of heuschkeliana's heavy buttery fragrance.

    I definitely think it's weird that your plant doesn't have a strong fragrance. There are plenty of Hoyas with faint scents (stronger at night), but the species we tend to see at local shops generally have pronounce fragrances. I wonder if it's a cultivar that has been selected for other traits.

    Still, it's great you were able to bring it to bloom, so I say get your hands on a cutting of an old school carnosa and you will be smelling that strong fragrance you grew up in no time.

    @ Klea

    That's a great description for lacunosa. That is how it smells to me, too. A faintly nutty sweetness.

  • rennfl
    11 years ago

    It's funny to me how many people like the scent of lacunosa. I agree it is a strong scent, but I don't like it. To me is smells just like carnations, which you only ever smell at funerals.

    Just a not good association in my mind.

    My favorite is.... limoniaca. Strong, sweet but citrusy at the same time. Plus since it is a rampant bloomer for me, I get to smell it often.

    Renee

  • mdahms1979
    11 years ago

    Hoya sp Estrella and sp Palawan GPS 9057 are blooming at the moment and they smell just incredible. Hoya lambii is another favourite with it's smoky sweet vanilla like scent. I also love the scent of Hoya obscura and Hoya shepherdii's blooms.

    There are still so many that I have not smelled. There are also many that don't smell particularly nice and others with no scent at all.

    Mike

  • teisa
    11 years ago

    I was once on vacation and found a lacunosa for sale that was in bloom! I bought it and took it back to hotel. That night we went out to eat, and when we came back the room smelled so Good! Im guessing because it was such a small space and closed off for awhile. I fell in love with it.

  • Ben Romdhane Ilies
    8 years ago

    I like the smell of Thomsonii and Calycina Stargazer

  • PRO
    Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Hoya macgillivrayi and Hoya cv Kaimuki smells like roses for me. Hoya sp black leaves smells strong perfume but I have 10 umbels in bloom same time. Hoya merrillii and surigaoensis ..citrus smell. Compacta and carnosa chocolate smell. Heuschkeliana and ds 70 smells like butter. All australis smells good too.

  • Faith
    8 years ago

    I live on the coast in Oregon and I was at a friends home and she had a Hoya that looked like a rope.... It was wonderful, in bloom... and big... she said she has had it for about 14 years.... I've been looking all over for one. Does anyone know where I can find some in Oregon, or do they have to be mail order?

    Thanks for any help.... This was my first time back on the Garden Web forums... I didn't even know they changed the name.....
    Faith


  • Zek Anderra
    8 years ago

    Where might I be able to trade for cuttings or simply acquire through mail?

    These are the specimens that have caught my eye throughout this conversation. I have H. lacunosa, H. lauterbachii and H. subclava

    H. pubicalyx | H. densifolia | H. "Estrella" | H. heuschkeliana | H. limoniaca | H. lambii

    Thank you!

  • myermike_1micha
    8 years ago

    Same here..I'd be willing to pay for a cutting of th Cadata, Heuschkeliona, HOya shephadis, or Limonica...If any one has these, please e-mail me and I will pay..Thank you

  • Zek Anderra
    8 years ago

    Exactly! Any answers fellow gardeners? Would love to acquire these varieties!

  • Teisa Clark
    8 years ago

    Mike, in the past I've gotten some really nice cuttings of Caudata from Nancy (puglvr). Now I've not seen her around in awhile but might want to try her for Caudata atleast. And I'm pretty sure Jan had Heusckeliona. Hope that helps ya!

  • Zek Anderra
    8 years ago

    @Jan Sword would you happen to still have H. heuschkeliana?

    Any body else no where I could find these? H. pubicalyx | H. densifolia | H. "Estrella" | H. limoniaca | H. lambii

  • stacy_hikari
    8 years ago

    I too would like to acquire Estrella & Limoniaca

  • alldjs
    6 years ago

    If anyone has cuttings to offer please let me know. a l l d j s @mail.com

  • scentedwax
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I love the distinct, potent scent of ginger, citrus, and nutmeg of finlaysonii which transports me into edenic rainforest sceneries every time.

    Try platycaulis for an unsurpassable, heavenly rose-like (but better if that is possible, with the daintiest hint of honeysuckle) perfume. Easy-care and blooms fast, so no long arduous wait, either.

  • andr3ana
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Anyone knows where I can buy Hoya platycaulis and estrella from? I'm in California.

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