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Nicknamed the sweetheart plant, the hoya is as easy to grow as a succulent.
Nicknamed the sweetheart plant, the hoya is as easy to grow as a succulent.
This story was originally published in November 2019. The information on where to find hoya kerrii was updated on Feb. 8, 2022.
There’s one cluster of plants that Stephanie Kochenour absolutely knows will be a huge hit come Valentine’s Day.
But she can’t wait that long, so she’s taken a few of the green heart-shaped hoya kerrii home from the greenhouse she manages.
These little green hearts now decorate her dining room table. Soon they will go home with her Thanksgiving dinner guests.
Kochenour is on to something. This heart-shaped hoya variety is having a moment. Nicknamed the sweetheart plant, the hoya is as easy to grow as a succulent. However, don’t expect this heart to grow fast. It’s also rare for this plant, usually of just a single leaf, to sprout a stem with new hearts.
The heart hoya is one of more than 600 species of this trailing vine, writes Summer Rayne Oakes, author of “How to Make a Plant Love You.” Hoya have thick leaves that are waxy, so they’re sometimes called a wax plant.
When Stephanie Kochenour started running the greenhouse at Longenecker’s Hardware in Manheim a few years ago, there was a large hoya ‘exotica’ hanging basket brimming with long trailing vines.
She added a hoya variety with silvery leaves that is a climbing plant.
A few months ago, she added mini hoya hindu rope with thick, curly leaves.
And she saw one of her growers offered heart hoyas.
In the past six months, they’ve become one of the greenhouse’s popular plants.
The greenhouse at Longeneckers Hardware in Manheim has hoya hanging baskets.
At times some of the older hoya plants sprouted more than 20 big white blooms. The waxy flowers last about a month as long as customers keep their hands off. “They’ll grab them and ask if it’s real,” Kochenour says.
Kochenour uses cactus mix to pot hoya.
When Stephanie Kochenour started running the greenhouse at Longenecker’s Hardware in Manheim a few years ago, there was a large hoya ‘exotica’ hanging basket brimming with long trailing vines.
She added a hoya variety with silvery leaves that is a climbing plant.
A few months ago, she added mini hoya hindu rope with thick, curly leaves.
And she saw one of her growers offered heart hoyas.
In the past six months, they’ve become one of the greenhouse’s popular plants.
The greenhouse at Longeneckers Hardware in Manheim has hoya hanging baskets.
At times some of the older hoya plants sprouted more than 20 big white blooms. The waxy flowers last about a month as long as customers keep their hands off. “They’ll grab them and ask if it’s real,” Kochenour says.
Kochenour uses cactus mix to pot hoya.
When Kochenour started running the greenhouse at Longenecker’s Hardware in Manheim a few years ago, there was a large hoya “exotica” hanging basket brimming with long trailing vines. Kochenour and her staff have nurtured the plant through the years. At times it’s sprouted more than 20 big white blooms. The waxy flowers last about a month, as long as customers keep their hands off.
“They’ll grab them and ask if it’s real,” Kochenour says.
That hoya is real, and it’s for sale.
Kochenour added a hoya variety with silvery leaves that is a climbing plant. A few months ago, she added mini hoya hindu rope with thick, curly leaves. And she learned one of her growers was offering heart hoyas. In the past six months, they’ve become one of the greenhouse’s most popular plants, trailing behind succulents, snake plants and aloe.
Other Lancaster County greenhouses also are selling the plants. They've been spotted at Ken’s Gardens’ Smoketown and Ronks greenhouses, Stauffers of Kissel Hill’s Home and Garden stores on Lititz Pike and Rohrerstown Road and Esbenshade's Garden Centers location near Adamstown.
Outside of Lancaster County, hoya hearts were named one of the chicest houseplants by Domino magazine. They’re also on the short list of plants sold by The Sill, a trendy New York houseplant seller. One word comes up time and again: cute.
One gripe, however, is the plants’ slow growth.
It’s rare, but Kochenour was pleasantly surprised to see one of her hoya hearts sprout a vine.
She might keep that one.
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Most types of hoya come from subtropical and tropical Asia. Some types found in high elevations like cool temperatures at night. Others are used to monsoons and like a lot of water and some need lots of light, so follow instructions for each type of hoya.
Stephanie Kochenour, a greenhouse manager, found the hoyas she cares for prefer temperatures around 65 to 80.
Hoya like a lot of light, but plants in south-facing windows should have filtered light.
Treat hoya like a succulent. “You can kill it by overwatering it,” Kochenour says. She usually waters once every five weeks.
Pair hoya with plants that like similar water and light conditions. Kochenour likes creating containers with hoya, haworthia and cacti.
Hoya love to be root-bound, so don’t pot in a too-large container.
The plant doesn’t like too much moisture, so Kochenour prefers a cactus soil. She’ll top the soil with a small amount of moss or small rocks.
Hoya can be susceptible to aphids. Spray plant with a horticultural oil that’s labeled to use for houseplants.
— Sources: Stephanie Kochenour, Homestead Brooklyn and Florida Cooperative Extension
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