Miniature wax plant

Miniature wax plant: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Arching, branching stems up to 50 cm long; a loose, rounded trailing plant.

Leaves

Small, lance-shaped, 2–3 cm long, slightly fleshy and dark green, closely set along the stems.

Flower

Hanging clusters of white, star-shaped flowers of about 1 cm, with a purplish red centre.

Scent

Sweet, especially in the evening.

Flower spurs

Short spurs on which new flowers appear every year; so do not cut them off.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow; they dislike wet feet.

Flowering: May–September · Plants: March–April · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Generous flowering from May to September with fragrant, star-shaped flowers.
• A graceful trailing plant for a hanging basket, a tall cupboard or a plant shelf.
• The flowers look like wax or porcelain: close up, a little work of art.
• New flowers every year on the same flower spurs.
• Easy to propagate from cuttings.

Miniature wax plant: where does it grow best?

• Bright, out of fierce midday sun; an east- or west-facing window is ideal. Too little light means few or no flowers.
• Warm: 18–24 °C, never below 12 °C. This hoya is more sensitive to cold than the common wax plant.
• Slightly humid air is good; not directly above a radiator.
• Choose a permanent spot: do not move or turn it once it has buds, or they will drop.
• Hang it at eye level or higher, so you can see the hanging flowers properly.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Sparingly or moderately

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 12 °C

Goes well with

• Wax plant: Its larger relative, with the same kind of fragrant flowers.
• Mistletoe cactus: Also a trailing epiphyte that likes the same bright spot.
• Peperomia: Small, fleshy leaves for the same spot out of fierce sun.
• Easter cactus: Also an epiphyte for a hanging pot; together they flower from April to September.

Miniature wax plant: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, only when the pot is full of roots: it flowers best when slightly pot-bound.
2. Choose a wide, shallow pot or hanging basket with drainage holes, only 2–3 cm larger than the old one.
3. Use an open mix of potting compost with orchid bark and perlite.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm lightly.
5. Water moderately and let the excess drain away well.

Care

Water

Let the top layer of compost dry out before watering, but do not let the root ball dry out completely: this hoya tolerates drought less well than the common wax plant. Less in winter.

Feeding

From April to August, feed for flowering houseplants at half strength every 3–4 weeks.

Flower spurs

Do not cut off the old flower spurs: that is where new flowers will appear next year.

Leave it be in flower

Leave the plant where it is while it flowers; turning or moving it makes the buds drop.

Nectar

The flowers sometimes drip sticky nectar: do not hang the plant above a table or a delicate floor.

Tip: Never cut off the old flower spurs: that is where new flowers will appear next year. Do not move or turn the plant once it has buds, or they will drop.

Miniature wax plant: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: Pruning is hardly needed. Shorten overlong or bare stems in March.

How:

• Cut overlong, bare stems back to just above a leaf.
• Always leave the short flower spurs, even if they look spent.
• Use pieces of stem as cuttings.
• Remove dead, dried-out stems at the base.

Caution: Cutting off the old flower spurs means cutting off next year’s flowers.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Stem cuttings

In spring or summer, take pieces of stem of 8–10 cm with 2–3 nodes, remove the lower leaves and put them in water or moist, open cutting compost at 20–25 °C. Roots appear after 3–6 weeks.

Layering

Pin a long stem down at a node onto a small pot of moist compost; once it has rooted, cut it from the parent plant.

Miniature wax plant: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year: it does not tolerate cold and suffers below 12 °C.
• Water less in winter, but do not let the compost dry out completely. No feeding.
• Put it in the brightest spot, away from cold windows and draughts.
• A bright spot at 15–18 °C is a good place for the winter.

Diseases and pests

• Bud drop: The buds fall before opening, due to moving, draughts or drought. Leave the plant where it is and keep the compost lightly moist.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts along the stems and in the leaf axils. Remove with a cotton bud dipped in a little alcohol.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds. Rinse off with lukewarm water.
• Root rot: Yellow, limp leaves and wet compost. Water less and use a more open mix.
• No flowers: Too little light or a pot that is too big. Move it somewhere brighter and do not repot too often.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Little water, no feeding.
• March: Shorten overlong stems. Repot if needed.
• April: Repot. Start feeding again.
• May: Flowering begins. Do not move it any more.
• June: Flowering. Feed. Take cuttings.
• July: Flowering. Feed. Keep out of fierce midday sun.
• August: Flowering. Last feed of the year.
• September: Last flowers. Leave the flower spurs in place.
• October: Water less.
• December: Rest in a bright spot. Little water.

Did you know?

• The genus Hoya is named after Thomas Hoy, an English gardener of the 18th century.
• The same short flower spurs bloom again year after year, gradually getting a little longer.
• The flowers look as if they were made of wax: hence the name wax plant for the whole genus.