You’d be forgiven for overlooking hoyas at first glance. Their beauty can be a bit understated especially if they aren’t blooming. But once these beauties do catch your eye, watch out – they can easily become an addiction

The fascinating foliage of these lovely climbing and trailing houseplants is so intriguing. There is a vast array of leaf colors, shapes, and textures. But the blooms are what will catch your eye first.

Hoyas produce blooms striking and fragrant enough to compete with some of the showiest garden ornamentals, yet you can grow them indoors! The individual flowers are star-shaped and, depending on the species and variety, pale pink, white, purple, or pale yellow in colour.

A Hoya is a combination between succulents and vining plants like a Pothos or Philodendron in the sense that they look like tropical plants, but they actually prefer to dry out, like a succulent.

Your Hoya has thick, fleshy leaves that store moisture, so you don’t need to water your plant often. Like succulents, you can let the Hoya soil dry out but when the leaves start to wrinkle, it means it’s time to water. However, when it comes to sunlight exposure, the Hoya is different from a succulent. A typical succulent loves the bright sunlight but the Hoya doesn't like direct sunlight at all.

If you see the leaves on your Hoya turning yellow and it's in a bright spot, it’s getting too much Sun. The perfect place for your Hoya is a spot in the middle of a room with a south or west facing window.

Hoyas like the security of a snug pot and plants that are a bit root-bound will flower more prolifically. Hoyas don’t like to be be in wet or heavy soil. Many Hoya grow as epiphytes in nature (similar to bromeliads and orchids). Mixing your regular potting soil with orchid potting mix in a 1-1 ratio will provide an ideal growing medium for your hoya plant.

Hoyas originate from tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia and are usually trailing or climbing vines although some will grow in an upright fashion. They are most often found growing as epiphytes in tropical forests where they climb into or hang from the branches among a mix of other epiphytic plants.