Back to Basics: Favorite Flower

12 years ago

I've been kind of curious about this for a while, because we often ask about favorites, but I've read back through a lot of threads and surprisingly there is no thread where I could find this simple question. (Okay, I got bored after paging through about 50 threads from my search query, but nvm that.)

What is your FAVORITE Hoya flower?

This is not a question about foliage. This is not a question about how how frequently or generously a plant produces blooms. This is not a question about scent. This is not a question about rarity. It is not even a question about what you have bloomed yourself. This is purely a question about the aesthetics of blooms.

Are the fuzzy mindorensis blooms better than the cute little sea creature lacunosas? Do the strange rare sp. Hoyas have better blooms than the more common varieties? Is danumensis more adorable than siariae? Which is the best: archboldiana, macgillivrayi, onychoides, or imperialis?

I am curious about everyone's taste. There is no right or wrong answer. But if we can get into a few bar fights where I smash a chair over your head for saying that megalantha is a poor man's onychoides, then all the better.

jk I haven't chosen my horse yet. ^_^

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Comments (9)

Denise
12 years ago
Hi JK (GG)...

Ok, if you're purely talking about flowers, for their beauty and not their fragrance, I guess at this point I would have to say meliflua. Now bear in mind that overall, the plant itself is rather ho-hum as far as I'm concerned, but the flowers are an absolute knockout. Mine has bloomed twice and the flowers were beautiful and quite different each time.
First time...

Second time...

Yummy, I just want to gobble them up!

Denise in Omaha (too)
ima_digger
12 years ago
Denise, the second picture sure is yummy, yummy! It reminds me of Ambrosia, the summer desert that is very popular here in Florida. It is also called 5-cup Salad.
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eye_love_begonias
12 years ago
Hands down H. cinnamomifolia for it's chartreuse and red color combo. My 4 year old plant has never bloomed for me, though I wait patiently and inspect it nearly daily for a peduncle. And while I've not been rewarded for giving her the equivalent of a TSA pat down everyday, I have been teased with her sporting some variegated leaves. I'll take it!
moonwolf_gw
12 years ago
Oh it's so difficult to choose! Carnosa is what first got me hooked on hoyas. I love the fuzziness of lacunosa's blooms. Pubicalyx 'Black Dragon' I will be very impressed with when it blooms (stillhunting 'White Dragon'; I just LOVE the picture of it's pure white blooms). Mindorensis looks like some fancy glass art or crystals/gems (Hey, now I've found a nickname for my mindorensis: Jem!). Argh! So difficult to choose!

Brad AKA Moonwolf
golden_ca_2000
12 years ago
I think my favorite (Looking flower) has got to be Hoya juannguoiana - at least by this photo - I have not purchased this hoya YET - nor have I ever actually seen it in person.. but the flower - at least this photo I think is stunning

http://srqhoyas.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=142
puglvr1
12 years ago
From my own collection...I would have to say H.imperialis. Definitely the largest and longest lasting bloom (lasted appx. between 2 to 2 1/2 weeks) I've ever had.
But, I do have to agree with Denise about Meliflua...its a close second for the reasons she stated. It is very cool that they can look so different from the same plant.
greedygh0st
Original Author
12 years ago
Love the photos of meliflua, Denise. This is just a great choice.

I would never have thought of juannguoiana, Golden, but that is a beautiful flower and I love the way Joni describes it as pinkish bronze. Fascinating! That has to be a great one to see in person.

My favorite Hoya flower is mindorensis. I like all the different colors... I like the way the colors manifest differently on the same plant. I think the fuzziness is adorable, whimsical, exotic, and elegant all at the same time. And I like the way this one blooms in big round firework spheres, which is one of my favorite performances from our Hoyas. Plus, it's one that is super cute as it unfolds. Mine haven't bloomed yet for me, but I like the way denise posted companion pictures, so I'm going to showcase some from you guys (hope you don't mind!):

From dmichael:

From Dee:

And of course David's aff. mindorensis

As Kelly accuses, I will never be satisfied until I have all of the mindorensises.

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mdahms1979
12 years ago
This is difficult because I love so many Hoyas for different reasons. I love the small flowered species with their brightly coloured ball shaped flowers, especially in yellow to orange colour range. I also love the unusual and species like Hoya kloppenburghii and sp Pahang get me all excited. LOL

Of the Hoyas I grow my favorite is hands down Hoya lambii for both growth habit and flowers. Too bad my dependable lambii peduncle finally fell off after growing to over three inches long with old bloom scars and giving many flowers! Please excuse the blueish cast to the photo below but I forgot to unplug the LED lights when taking that photo.

Sneaking in a close second is Hoya lasiantha because it has the most incredible bright orange flowers and it blooms often.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Flickr
quinnfyre
12 years ago
I agree with lasiantha! Does it really bloom often, Mike? I'm afraid to try this one, but I love the blooms. I think my favorites do tend to be the fuzzy ones. My other favorites would be the campanulate ones. I tend to like this flower shape in general, hoya or not. Because I love pale yellow, blashernaezii holds a special place in my heart.

I don't know though. I haven't seen most hoya blooms in person. I tend to think it's possible my preferences would change when I see them for myself in all their three dimensional glory vs how they look in a pic.