Happy Summer to everyone!

I'm doing great. My hoyas - or what's left of them - are starting to flourish after neglecting for a couple of years. A few of them died on me but my favorites are still around. Aphids galore until I got the spray and was diligent in getting rid of them. For example, my H. Lacunosa Tove has just now bloomed and smelling up the kitchen nicely. My H. Loheri has bloomed too. My H. Retusa is coming back to life after the aphids lost control.

My oldest hoya, Crimson Queen, didn't bloom this year but looks lovely as ever. She's my favorite of all of them.

Hope all is well with everyone. I've been away for awhile (life sometimes does that to people) but not I'm back.

Best, TammyPie

Have I fulfilled my wish list? Yes and No.

I do feel very gorged and Hoya-satisfied at the moment, like I just ate a big Thanksgiving dinner. I think it's because I was able to obtain both of the plants that were on my permanent wish list. Some Hoyas are like an itch and others are like a hunger. That whispy little pink caudata and sp. Estrella Falls were hunger Hoyas.

Now, do I still have some itch Hoyas? I will always have itch Hoyas! Every time I look at a Hoya site I get a new Hoya itch! And that's because the point, with me, is not to own and display and polish. I actually couldn't care less if all my plants grew s u p e r slowly (as long as they were happy). I just like to learn and explore and see things with my own two eyes and that makes me an itchy person.

Not itching for anything in particular though. Except...

This.

Hoya buotii 'Dark Angel'

Yep, been itching for that for a while. Can't seem to make myself forget about it.

Wish I had fresh cucumbers! I eat about 2 a day in the summer.

Well I'm new to hoyas in general, but I'm now wanting to start a wish list. I currently have two publicalyx and one semi unknown. I will soon be receiving two more cuttings from a friends hoya this summer. Very excited!
Brad mentioned above two hoyas by the names black and white dragon.
Now you have to understand that I am the type of person that is obsessed with anything medieval/fantasy. so when I saw the word dragon, I now have to own those two plants.
Only problem is the cuttings I found online are thirty dollars for each. EWWW that is a little to expensive for my at the moment. anyone have a cutting of each dragon hoya? help a poor girl that loves plants out ;)

Tammypie, welcome back! Congrats on the blooms! Glad to hear you got rid of the aphids. They don't bother my hoyas but they sure do love the roses!

GG, I just love that buotii "Black Angel"!!! How stunning! What color is the Estrella Falls (Love that name, (Estrella) btw)? I've never heard of it. Oh, dad ate the cucumber lol. It was a little green still and I could have left it longer on the vine but it looked the right size to be picked (according to the tag). He said it was good though.

Harrison871, welcome to the wonderful world of hoyas! I have always been a fan of medieval/fantasy too. I've always had a big imagination. If my Black Dragon plant was larger, I would send you some cuttings but alas, it is still on the small side but growing beautifully! Happy Hoya Growing!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Thanks, Brad!

I had to spray my Lacunosa Tove as I found aphids again. The rest of my hoya collection doesn't have them.

Tammy

You're welcome, Tammy!

Let's hope they stay gone this time! The mealybugs devoured my lacunosa last fall. It was an ongoing battle with them and they finally won. They're still on some of my plants but they're not as bad as they used to be. Maybe I'll have to take a couple of rubbing alcohol dipped q-tips to them soon. Good luck!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad, The flowers of sp. Estrella Falls are green, and they smell like ginger. There are some nice pictures at the link below.

The name is pretty, I agree. It is the name of a small waterfall in the Philippines, near which David Liddle collected this plant. Here's a picture of the falls:

I have this fascination for seeing the places where our plants started out. It's so crazy how far one plant can spread.

Harrison, unfortunately Black Dragon and White Dragon are new to all of us, having first been offered up for sale last winter, at a steep price, as you noted. So, most of the plants over here are still small and precious. They grow fast, though, so I think if you're patient, they will be more available and freely traded in a few years.

Maybe you should also collect publicalyx 'Chimera.' Even though that isn't technically a correct name, it's very fantasy. ^_~

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoya sp. Estrella Falls

GG, that's an amazing picture!

I'm happy that I've managed to hold off buying any new hoyas in the past month... I need to grow the ones I have well: I try to remind myself quality, not quantity! But that's easy to forget because I definitely do have a long wish list. But then again, I really don't have much room left for new hoyas. Especially when winter comes round again, I have no idea where to put all of these plants! And of course, little hoyas do eventually become big hoyas!

I've also been busy gardening outdoors, so that is another distraction.

Brad, speaking of gardening outdoors, (and off topic), I discovered milkweed growing in my yard in several spots! After learning about your butterfly garden, I thought of you and decided to let the milkweed flourish there (even while weeding all around it). But I've yet to see any butterflies. When do they emerge from their cocoons?

that's all for now! I am still lurking around here, even though I'm more quiet these days than I was in the spring ;)

GG, thanks for posting that picture. My mom's name is Estrella(she passed away many years ago) and coincidentally I was born in the Philippines! My Dad was in the military many moons ago...

Just wanted to say thanks for posting the picture...I've never been there. Might be something I'd like to visit someday. In the meantime...I will have to look for this rare hoya...for my Mom's memory.

Oh GG, that waterfall is gorgeous! The color and scent sound wonderful too! It is amazing to see how far one plant can spread. For example, last weekend, I passed a small field coming home and it was just full of butterfly weed in bloom!

Lightning, I have seen Monarch caterpillars around here but not too many. They should be out and about. The wild common milkweed hardly has been touched (eaten). Maybe we'll see something happen as the weeks go by. Mom and I saw a HUGE Eastern Tiger Swallowtail yesterday. The conversation is not entirely off topic, since milkweeds and hoyas are related after all :).

Pug, what a nice story! That would be a good hoya to have!

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Pug, I so agree with Brad that that is a wonderful story about your mother and birthplace. Indeed you MUST have this Hoya and as soon as mine grows enough, I'd be happy to give you a cutting. Besides, knowing you, you'd be sure to bring it to a lovely blooming size before I could. ^_~

Definitely think milkweeds are always on topic! And always nice to hear from you occasionally, Beth. ^_^

Pug, I just wanted to add that in 10 days from now it'll be four years since Nikki died. Seeing the peduncles on my carnosa really brought a smile to my face. I still get emotional about it sometimes but the hoya always brings my heart joy. So as one person who grows a hoya in memory of a loved one, it's a great way of keeping their memory alive. When they bloom, just think of it as a message from them saying I'm here. I can only imagine the happiness you'll get when GG sends you a cutting from her Estrella Falls.

GG, what a nice thing for you to do! I'll be sending my one friend, who was close to Nikki also, some cuttings off of my carnosa.

Beth, always happy knowing someone that loves butterflies as much as I do. Such wonderful creatures and I just love their nickname: "The Flowers Of The Air". I have to pull weeds around mine too since they're still small. You just need some more butterfly plants (host and nectar) if you want to pack them in.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Thanks Brad! I'm SO happy that your Carnosa is always a constant reminder of Nikki!! What a wonderful way to honor her memory.

GG, that is very generous of you...Please...You keep your wonderful cutting and hoping it will grow well and flourish and give you blooms quickly. I'm sure that I will find one somewhere...I will keep looking...But I thank you for your kind and generous offer though.

Oh, Pug. It's not that big a deal. Keep me notified if you find a source for sp. Estrella, but otherwise I'll keep you in mind with mine.

Our deal can be that if you ever find a Hoya Ortrude, for my mom, then you have to give me a cutting of IT. :P See, I'm tough but fair.

Thanks GG! You got yourself a deal :o)

Let your beautiful cutting get nice and big then once it gets large enough to share and if I still haven't found one by then...I know I can count on you. I truly appreciate it! Thanks again!