Talk:Hoya obscura

What kind of soil does h. obscura prefer? Mine bloomed once, then stopped growing. Doolin 16:28, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Evidently, identifying hoyas can be a non-trivial task. Any information on how to best identify non-blooming hoyas would be really appreciated.

Which hoya for you?

Hoyas thrive on neglect, and will survive in fairly low light conditions. Many hoyas exhibit striking foliage, so whether the plant blooms or not, the foliage provides character to any interior scape. However, different hoyas have different growing characteristics, some of which may not be desirable. For example, some hoyas are viny, some are compact. None of the growers list these characteristics, generally only showing blooming specimens. This is not helpful to buyers trying to determine which hoya is suitable for a particular space. The following is a list of characteristics which new growers may find helpful for determining which plants are suitable:

Growing habit: Viny vs. compact vs. shrub like. Growing habit dictates what kind of container is best for the plant.
Sap color: milky vs clear, helpful for identification.
Leaf size: very small (2 cm) to very large (25 cm).
Epiphytic? Some hoyas are more epiphytic than others.
Fragrance: A few hoyas have obnoxious fragrance.
Soil conditions. Some hoyas grow on limestone ledges, some grow completely in trees. Which are which, and how to adjust the soil for a particular species.
Outdoor growing zone and season. Nearly all hoyas will grow in USDA Zone 10. Many however will at least survive winter outdoors in substantially colder zones. For example, h. carnosa will can be grown outdoors year around in SF Bay area with some minimal protection from frost and from direct sunlight. Which other hoyas will survive outdoors?

It would be very nice for each hoya page to have this information listed, as well as a page that collects all this information for easy lookup. I will add as my time permits.