Hey there, pinky. Your question isn't dumb and it's been asked before. Most Hoyas focus more on length than branching, and compacta is one with particularly linear growth.

Although it is capable of branching, people report it's usually slow to do so, and it could very well grow for a decade without branching. The fact that it's such a slow compact grower probably makes the wait seem even longer.

If you want a bushy plant sooner you have two options. You can take cuttings and grow multiple starts in the same pot, or you can loop the single vine strategically. In a hanging pot, you can loop it around the pot, or you can grow it around a hoop like a wreath, which is a bit unusual for compacta, but it's been done.

Welcome to the Hoya forum, Pinkycat! Never, ever think a question is stupid. We're a friendly group who love to enable up-and-coming addicts!! LOL!

Your variegated Hindu Rope will be a slow grower. Variegates are traditionally slow, and Hindu rope, even the green form, doesn't grow real fast. Just appreciate it as it grows, when it gets long enough, you can take a cutting and put it back in the mother pot when it roots. And on and on until you have a big ol' plant. Feed it with a quality plant food (Ferti-lome is a good one) and it will reward you with decent growth. Impatience is natural when it comes to growing Hoyas, but the rewards of waiting for the "big plant" or the flowers is well worth it!

Denise in Omaha

Thanks Denise and Greedyghost. I'll be looking forward to watching it grow.
You both said this was a slow grower. Which hoyas grow more quickly?

My first thoughts are: tannaensis, Iris Marie, chlorantha, obscura, publicalyx, bhutanica, australis ssp. tenuipes, buotii, DS-70, engleriana, lanceolata bella, heuschkeliana

Growing quickly doesn't always equal blooming quickly. If you want some good starter plants that are strong growers and bloomers, my front-runners would be:

publicalyx
obscura
heuschkeliana
DS-70
lanceolata bella*
*if you are in the north - if you live somewhere really hot bella can be more challenging

That's a starter collection anyone could love.