Non-orchid ID

[Daethen]

This plant has belonged to my mother in law for over 15 years. It is one that her mother had (not the exact plant but one like it). She said it is beautiful when it blooms but it never has. I would like to find out what it is and what it needs so that I can get it to flower for her. I recently repotted it for the first time in over 10 years!! Nothing but dense mud . Any help will be very appreciated.

[nikv]

It's a Hoya of some kind. Not sure of the exact species. Should have umbrels of flowers with a nice scent.

[Brenda Aarts]

Originally Posted by nikv

. Should have umbrels of flowers with a nice scent.

Warning...one hoya that I grew did not smelle very good, hopefully you have a nicely fragranced one!

[greenbean]

Originally Posted by Brenda Aarts

Warning...one hoya that I grew did not smelle very good, hopefully you have a nicely fragranced one!

Lol. The scent varies from person to person. I have a Hoya carnosa that has been in my family since before I was born. My mother can't stand the smell of it, but my dad, brother, and I all love it.

As others have said, probably needs more light. I have mine in a southern window and it blooms non-stop from spring to fall. It gets so dark in western Washington in the winter that even a south window isn't bright enough to keep it blooming all year. It may also take a while to adjust to its new home. When we moved in 1999, the Hoya pouted and sulked for many years (it was also in a darker window though) until I moved it to the south window a couple years ago. The first year it made a couple new flower spurs, but this last year it pumped out flowers like Old Faithful on steroids!

A word of caution: Many hoyas produce copious amounts of nectar, which form large droplets at the center of the flower and can drip onto carpets or furniture. It can also be messy when the flowers fall off, so place it where you don't mind a bit of a mess.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by greenbean

Lol. The scent varies from person to person. I have a Hoya carnosa that has been in my family since before I was born. My mother can't stand the smell of it, but my dad, brother, and I all love it.

My hubby can't stand mine when it's in flower, but I love it, so I think you are right. Problem is for hubby, that when it's in flower it fills the house with the scent.

[PaphMadMan]

I agree, genus Hoya, probably Hoya carnosa, the most commonly seen as a houseplant.

[CTB]

Hoya vine, likes lots of sun, mine grows up a palm tree, no fertilizer, no water except the rain, blooms constantly. Give it something to attach to.

[fotofashion]

Yah, it's a Hoya. Living up north, you'll need to keep it indoors, of course, during cold weather. Come warm weather put it outside. I grow mine in hanging baskets and let them droop. One thing about this type is that it will twine around anything it finds so unless you want to spend some time next winter untangling it from its surroundings, make sure it does not twine. They will take a great deal of sun and even will endure some neglect in the watering department. I do fertilize mine with Osmocote once a year. Yours is probably suffering from a lack of good light.
Beverly A.

[another.one]

Looks like a hoya~ Also known as an indian rope plant or wax plant. They love lots of sun and free draining soil. They have beautiful star shaped flowers. Some have scents and some have no scents. They come in a variety of colors and sizes.
I own 2 (so far ^ ~*) and one has bloomed everyday since I got it (Hoya Bella). The second was labeled Hoya Carnosa but one can never be sure until the plant blooms. Mine hasn't bloomed yet but it finally (about 3 months after I bought it) it has sent out some peduncles. (So excited!)
Hoyas are in the succulent family so they require

less

watering but the soil they are planted in must remain damp.
Some hoyas are better raised on trellises and some are better raised in hanging baskets. Carnosa can do either but my Bella is a free hanger (it doesn't twine).
Give it plenty of wamth and light and it'll bloom for you almost endlessly. I read somewhere on the world wide web: "A happy hoya is a blooming hoya."

[WhiteRabbit]

I give my Hoya some of the orchid fertilizer ocassionally - don't know if it needs it or not, but it hasn't hurt it. Mine survived being out a couple nights last winter when we got down to about freezing - tho definitely looked worse for it lol