hoya

When I moved to this house in spring 2008 I found a pot of hoya, barely 20 cm long.  I transferred it to a bigger pot, planting it in a rich mixture of potting mix, compost and some sheep manure.  It is under cover but gets the late afternoon sun and a bit of the morning sun, through a shade cloth.  Knowing that a hoya likes to be pot bound before it will flower I left it in its corner, paying it attention when the profusion of new vines require training along the porch post.  It is a very healthy looking plant and I don't expect it to flower, not until it is more pot bound.  I was pleasantly surprised early this summer when I saw a couple of flowers amongst the shiny leaves.  I have another pot of hoya which has been in the same pot for close to twenty years.  It is a mess, with vines, old and new tangled in each other.  I have to do something about this tangled mess as the flowers are hidden behind layers of leaves.  It is time for repotting and creating a framework for the vines to climb on.