Cramp them
Hoyas are mostly epiphytic and like to grow in tight spaces. Pot them only when they are drastically root bound, and then only in a container one size up.
Feed them
Light is the big key to flowering, but feeding helps. Give them a half-strength foliar fertilizer every fortnight during the summer. Water in very hot or dry conditions during summer, but do not water in winter.
There are lots of unnamed or misnamed hoyas for sale, so it’s safest to buy from an expert. Wes and Lorraine Vidler grow more than 90 species at their nursery, Weslor, in the Noosa hinterland. They sell mail order from www.weslorflowers.com and will have a stall at the Collectors’ Plant Fair, April 9 and 10, Hawkesbury race Club, Clarendon, where you will be able to quiz them. More at www.collectorsplnatfair.com.au
Tip
Bring houseplants indoors when they are in bloom to enjoy the flowers, but don’t pick them. Flowers bloom at the same bud every year, so if you cut them off, you lose that bud forever.
