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mdahms1979

Hoya lambii third time a charm

mdahms1979
14 years ago

My Hoya lambii has bloomed three times this summer but this has been the best of all. All of the flowers have opened together this time around and there are many more of them than the previous two bloomings.

Here is a photo of the plant. The two dark spots on the leaves are spots that developed when I put the plant in bright southern sun, too bright for this one. I ended up having to use cinnamon to stop the progression of the spots on the leaf. I am hoping that the leaves fill in on the upper part of the plant soon but this one is said to naturally have leafless sections of vine. This plant really is quite an oddity, definitely my favorite so far from what has bloomed for me. The plant alone is interesting/attractive but the blooms are really something to.

Here is a look at the flowers which have the most fantastic scent. The back of the blooms are mottled with brick red spots.

A closer look.

Mike

Comments (38)

  • cpawl
    14 years ago

    Hi Mike,Very nice photos.I really like this hoya and can only hope mine will also bloom soon for me.It really has started to grow this summer after I had to restarted it.

    Cindy

  • PRO
    Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
    14 years ago

    Mike, wow! beautiful!!! I want this plant but I haven't came across one yet. I've heard lambii is hard to root, is it?
    Jan

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks Cindy, I am glad to hear your lambii is doing well. My plant developed it's peduncle the same year I rooted it but it held off on blooming for another year.

    Thanks Jan, here's hoping you find a source for this one. Have you tried Ted Green? Hoya lambii is not hard to root but it does have huge thin leaves so you have to give it very high humidity or it will end up loosing too much moisture. Rooting this one out in the open would be difficult and that is probably where it's bad reputation came from.

    Mike

  • gabro14
    14 years ago

    I am DROOLING Mike! What a stunning set of photos. I just love the blooms on lambii.

    I agree - I found this hoya very easy to root, and it rooted faster than any hoya in that particular order. But it only grows one or two leaves per year! It just grew its second annual leaf.

    Anyway, aside from your gorgeous umbel, I just love the way your lambii grows. Mine is a lot more spread out - the leaves aren't close together like yours. Maybe it's not getting enough light - I'll have to move it closer to the window. I think I have the big-leafed one, so that might grow a little differently. I ordered the smaller one from David Liddle (RIP), but I think he accidentally sent me the larger leafed one...no complaints there!! Which do you have?

    Gabi

  • puglvr1
    14 years ago

    That is just beautiful Mike!! Great photos...Is that lavender on some of the flowers or is it just the light? Either way...it is really beautiful!

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks Gabi. My plant is IML 1046, now I am curious what yours is, large leaved variety you say? I find that my plant grows and looks best when grown in bright light but without direct sun. The leaves become an unattractive colour when the light is too bright and the plant was definitely stressed. Right now I have it about four feet back from a south window with some supplemental light and shading by other plants.

    Pug you are right I must have left the LED light panel on and this plant was right below it for the photo. During the day when the sun is out you can't even notice the lights are on but they do cast a slight purplish light.

    Mike

  • patrick51
    14 years ago

    Regardless, Mike...that's one gorgeous plant...I hope mine looks that good if/when it blooms. I can see good reason for you to be thrilled with yours...beautiful!! Patrick

  • kellyknits
    14 years ago

    Just gorgeous! After a failed attempt at rooting I bought a cutting from Ted and rooted it with high humidity. Do you find you have to keep it in really humid conditions?

    Kelly

  • gabro14
    14 years ago

    Mike, my IML number is the same as your's. However, I think there was a mistake..I ordered IML 1046, but I think I received the other one (his catalog hasn't had the larger leafed lambii on it for awhile, but when I ordered it, he had both on there). I will measure my leaves either tonight or tomorrow night and let you know - then we can compare and see if I have the true IML 1046 or the larger one!

    Gabi

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Kelly my plant did need very high humidity as a cutting but after the root system developed it has been an easy plant to care for. This Hoya seems to like lots of room for it's roots and after I moved my plant to a 6" pot it took off straight up. The crock that the plastic pot sits in holds a little water and my plant has developed at least three feet of roots that hang out of the drain holes in the plastic pot, never seen so many roots on a Hoya.

    Mike

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Gabi my plant's largest leaf is 6" long by 4.5" across. I would love to know the leaf measurements of your plant.

    Mike

  • maidinmontana
    14 years ago

    Mike~

    Nice picture. The flower reminds me of a hallo. . . :)

    If a plant isn't going to be full, I like it when they grow leaves in a cluster. Nice growing and congrats on a stunning flower/plant!

    Maid~

  • geosdee
    14 years ago

    Beautiful plant Mike. Question though, you mention using cinnamon, I have a hoya doing the same thing with the leaves, so how much cinnomon do you use??

    Thanks,

    Dee

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks Dee. Cinnamon is useful for fungal infections which usually start as a dark spot and then spread out from the center. You can also use for wet rot by sprinkling over the diseased spot, for dry rot make a paste with water and put on the front and back of the leaf over the diseased area.

    Mike

  • geosdee
    14 years ago

    Thanks Mike.

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9ce31b3127ccef8004efcd77500000030O00QZMXDlyzYsge3nww/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

    I've never attempted to attach a picture to a post on this site so if nothing shows up please forgive me for not knowing what i'm doing!!!

  • puglvr1
    14 years ago

    David, that is absolutely gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing!

    I decided to post your link directly...so we don't have to copy and paste.

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Thanks Pug,

    Maybe eventually i'll figure out just how to post a picture on this forum!!!! I've got plenty of awesome hoya photos that i'd love to share but can't cause" I don't know how!!!

    My lambii always blooms this nice dark green and the scent is to die for!!! To me it's a combo of vanilla with a mix of maybe cloves and cinnamon. Unfortunately as beautiful as the hoya lambii flowers are,they only last for 24 hours.

    David

  • PRO
    Jan Sword-Rossman Realty 239-470-6061
    14 years ago

    Hi David, how to post photos.
    (1)you need a photo hosting site like photo bucket, up load your photos.
    (2)copy HTLM code from photo bucket, paste
    {{gwi:432385}}
    (3) preview
    (4) submit

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Okay, I have loaded some pictures onto photo bucket!! Now lets see if i'm smart enough to figure this out. If this works ,there should be another picture of my hoya lambii from earlier this year.

  • cpawl
    14 years ago

    See not so hard once you do it.Very nice photo.

    Cindy

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Fantastic photos David! I love the dark coloured flowers, is that the same plant that is in the bottom photo with light coloured blooms? I wonder if temperature or another factor plays a role in the colour of the flowers?

    Mike

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Mike, they are of the same plant. the lighter colored cluster of flowers opened in the gh. The dark green ones appeared once I moved the plant outside for the spring and summer. In both locations though ,it grows in VERY bright indirect light.

    david

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I have my plant in bright light as well but it always has light coloured blooms. This is such a great Hoya, just can't get enough of it.

    Thanks David

    Mike

  • golden_ca_2000
    14 years ago

    WOW that is sooo pretty! How does it smell?? :0)

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Golden, to me it smells like a combination of cloves & cinnamon with a little vanilla stirred in. The scent is very pleasing,at least to me it is.So many hoyas have aromas that just turn me off,the carnosas for instance,smell like very cheap chocolate.

    Some of my very favorites for fragrance are::
    lambii--vanilla spice
    obscura--fruit loops cereal
    heuschkeliana (ylw form) buttered popcorn--seriously
    subcalva--grape juice
    campanulata--lemon pledge furniture polish

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Mike, sorry but I just had to hijack this thread!!! This is my most favorite hoya,you'd probably have never guessed from all of the pictures!!! I have a total of about 20 pics to show. They are all from spring of 08' up through this summer. You'll notice that some of the flowers are very dark green on the edges,those are all flowers that bloomed outside this year when I had the plant under the shade house. All of the lighter colored blooms are from last year when the plant stayed in the gh and did not go outside.

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Here's 4 more!!

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    And 4 more!!

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    nope not done yet,here's 4 more!!!

  • theplanthoarder
    14 years ago

    You guys are so lucky. I have a cutting I am trying to root and it is not doing anything. :( I don't think it will make it unfortunately. One of the leaves fell off so I am even trying to root that because I saw on one of "the hoyan's" auctions of a lambii that she rooted the plant from a leaf. I figure it was worth a try.

  • cpawl
    14 years ago

    I love lambii and hope mine grows up to be just like your guys.
    Outstanding photos David.

    Cindy

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Okay, i'm finally out of lambii pics!!! This is an amazing hoya and anyone who does not already grow it-YOU SHOULD-it's a very easy hoya to grow. Some find it a bit tricky to root but i've never had any issues with getting it to root just by sticking the cutting right into some potting mix. If I had to give up every hoya in my collection and only be allowed to keep just 1,this would be it!!!!! I love it for it's foliage which is unlike any other hoya out there and the fragrance of the flowers is just as beautiful as the flowers!!

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    It's really too bad that someone hasn't invented a scratch and sniff computer screen yet!!!!

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    David feel free to hijack any of my threads in the future. :)
    The photos are just fantastic, especially the first couple of sets. This is definitely one of my favorite Hoyas, scores a perfect 10 across the board. My plant is budding up again already which is at least four times this spring and summer.

    Mike

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    Mike I read in your opening post about your plant having areas of bare vine. Don't worry,this plants tends to do that. It can take months even up to a year for new leaves to develop on those bare vines but they eventually will. Mine has made new runners up to 5 ft long with not a single leaf,but had a peduncle which bloomed on a bare vine.

  • mdahms1979
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I would like to grow my plant on a couple of straight bamboo poles that are at least 6' tall. My plant seems to like to grow straight up very quickly and it's pretty much out of room to do that on it's current support. How do you grow your lambii, on bamboo hoops as well? Hopefully there is some new growth from this one in the spring. The new leaves are beautiful but so far I have only seen a couple on my plant. With all the flowers I have seen from this one so far I am more than willing to wait patiently for new leaves. :)

    Mike

  • dmichael619
    14 years ago

    my lambii started out growing around a tomato cage,to the top of that I attached some 4ft bamboo U hoops and it's pretty much covered the entire thing. When this hoya is grown well and is happy it grows fast!!!