Sweetheart hoya

Sweetheart hoya: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Climbing or trailing plant with thick stems; slow-growing, up to 1–2 m long indoors.

Leaves

Thick, fleshy and heart-shaped, up to about 8 cm; dark green or variegated with a yellow or white edge.

Flowers

Rounded clusters of many small, star-shaped, waxy flowers, creamy white with a red to brown centre.

Nectar

The flowers produce drops of nectar that can drip: do not stand it above good furniture.

Flower spurs

The flowers come from short, permanent spurs, which flower again year after year.

Flowering: June–September · Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• Unusual heart-shaped leaves: a fun gift that needs little care.
• Succulent-like: it forgives the odd missed watering.
• With some patience it flowers with rounded clusters of waxy, starry flowers.
• Attractive as a trailing plant or wound around a hoop.
• Grows slowly, so it stays in place for a long time.

Sweetheart hoya: where does it grow best?

• Bright, with some morning or evening sun; with too little light it will not flower.
• Warm: 18–25 °C while growing and never below 15 °C.
• Airy, free-draining compost: cactus compost or potting compost mixed with orchid bark and perlite.
• A small pot: it flowers better when its roots are a little cramped.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Sparingly or moderately

Size

2 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 15 °C

Goes well with

• String of hearts: Another trailing succulent from the same family, with small heart-shaped leaves.
• String of pearls: Trailing ‘peas’ that need just as little water.
• Snake plant: Stiff, upright leaves that also tolerate drought.
• Mistletoe cactus: A light, trailing plant with thin stems, for a bright spot out of fierce sun.

Sweetheart hoya: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot only when really necessary, in March–April, every two or three years.
2. Choose a pot only slightly larger, with a drainage hole; in terracotta the compost dries out faster.
3. Use an airy mix: cactus compost or potting compost with orchid bark and perlite.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm lightly.
5. Wait a few days before watering, so damaged roots can heal first.
6. Put a hoop or small trellis in the pot if you want to train the stems.

Care

Watering

Let the compost dry out completely between waterings; in summer roughly every one to two weeks, in winter much less.

Feeding

From April to August, half-strength houseplant feed once a month.

Flower spurs

Do not cut off spent flower spurs: new flowers appear in the same place the following year.

Buds

Do not turn or move it when it has buds, or it may drop them.

Support

Train the stems around a hoop or let them trail; do not shorten them if you want flowers.

Tip: Never cut off spent flower spurs: new flowers appear in the same place the following year.

Sweetheart hoya: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. It grows slowly, and every stem can flower later.

How:

• Only cut out dead or shrivelled stems, just above a leaf.
• Leave long, bare stems in place: leaves and flowers will appear on them later.
• Never cut off the spent flower spurs.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Stem cuttings

In spring or summer, take a piece of stem with at least one node and one or two leaves. Let the cut end dry for a day, then root it in airy compost or in water, somewhere warm (22–25 °C). Roots form within a few weeks.

Leaf cutting

A single leaf roots easily, but without a node it hardly ever makes a new stem. That is the ‘heart’ sold in shops.

Layering

Lay a stem with a node onto a small pot of compost alongside and pin it down; once it has rooted, cut it free.

Sweetheart hoya: how does it get through the winter?

• Houseplant: keep it in a bright spot in winter and never below 15 °C.
• Water sparingly in winter: every three to four weeks is often enough.
• No feeding from September to March.
• Keep it away from cold window panes and draughts, but not right above a radiator either.

Diseases and pests

• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts in the leaf axils and near the flowers. Dab them off with a cotton bud and repeat; cut away badly affected parts.
• Root rot: Yellow, soft leaves and a rotting stem base from overwatering. Let it dry out, repot into dry, airy compost and water less.
• Wrinkled leaves: Dry for too long or, if the compost is wet, rotten roots. Check the roots before you water.
• No flowers: Usually too little light, or a young plant in too big a pot. Move it somewhere brighter and be patient: a hoya often takes a few years to flower.
• Single leaf does not grow: A single ‘heart’ without a node stays unchanged for years. If you want a real plant, buy one with a stem.

Through the year

• January: Resting. Little water, bright spot.
• March: Repot if needed.
• April: Water more once it grows. Start feeding.
• May: Take cuttings. Train the stems.
• June: First flowers. Stop moving it.
• July: Flowering. Water when the compost is dry. Feed.
• August: Flowering. Last feed.
• September: Last flowers. Leave the spurs in place.
• October: Water less.
• December: Resting. Away from cold panes.

Did you know?

• The genus Hoya is named after Thomas Hoy, an English gardener of around 1800.
• Because of their waxy flowers, hoyas are also known as wax plants or wax flowers.
• A single heart-shaped leaf can live in its pot for years without growing a millimetre.