May is for the blooming hoya

It was this time of year when Jeff, the kids and I moved into our home. The yard was a jungle and the children likened it to one their favorite books, ‘Jumanji’.

It was clear that the original owners had a penchant for tropical houseplants and planted as many as they could in the yard, under the canopy of oak trees and cabbage palm. For twenty years, more or less, they had grown untouched and with wild abandon. Some had grown to sizes that I would have never imagined and hardly recognized.

But there was one, in particular, that I was sure I had never seen before… this beautiful vine with white and pink flower clusters which look like upside down parachutes.

I was enchanted and wanted this home and little plot of paradise more than I was capable of explaining. Fortunately Jeff understood my mutterings, and the look in my eyes.
We made it our home thirteen years ago and never looked back.

Every house-anniversary, we are greeted with our favorite, among favorites, of flowers that bloom in our yard.

Hoya is a genus of several hundred species of tropical climbing plants, and our pretty vine here is one of one-hundred species of the Hoya--- the Hoya Carnosa. Traditionally called ‘Grandma's Old Fashioned Wax Plant’, it is one of the most common.

I’ve recently seen it being called ‘Strawberries & Cream Wax Plant’ by a seller on amazon.com and thought that name suited it just fine.

Ours grow up our trees and are particularly fond of the cabbage palms. Their blooms last for several months and release a strong, yet heavenly, lingering, smell in the evenings.

I’ve decided to try some easy stem cutting to see if I can get them to root. If I’m successful I will be spreading this lusciousness around to friends and family during visits. 

Such a small, simple, and genuine gesture---and one that I vow to get into the habit of doing. I’ll let you know how it goes.
~dale