Multi-flowering Hoyas:
from Mark, the Garden Whiz
Q:
A few months ago, i was given a Hoya vine. At the time, I
was told to not cut-off the flowers but was never told
why. However now that it IS flowering, they are so
wonderful I would like to. Is there really a reason to not
clip them off?
A:
Actually, that was very good advise. Unlike most plants we
encounter, hoyas develop perennial flower spikes. This
means that each spike flowers more than just once! In
other words, after the flowers on such a spike have gotten
old and fall off, the knobby ended spike remains. Then,
after a period of time, that same spike will develop
another ring of flower buds. Depending on what kind of
hoya it is, these perennial flower spikes may continue to
periodically make more flowers for several years! And
while the plant will continue to make more of these
perennial spikes its whole life, the flowering display
becomes better all the time as more and more spikes grow.
(By the way, these are technically called "flowering
spurs"). So every time a spur might be cut for ornamental
purposes, it'll be one less place the vine can flower from
in future years.
See our selection of Hoyas...
