Hoya plants are easy-care house plants for beginners

by Amber Miner

Hoya make great beginner house plants!

Hoya, or 'Wax Leaf' plants are popular house plants for a few reasons. These beautiful easy-care houseplants:

  • Are fairly drought-tolerant and forgiving of sporadic watering schedules. 
  • Come in a wide variety of types of Hoya plants, with various leaf shapes and foliage colors.
  • Add vibrant living color to your home.
  • Bloom clusters of fragrant flowers.

About Hoya Plants

Hoya usually have thick leaves, this is why they are also called 'Wax Plants'. Most types are very epiphytic. This means they like warm, humid temperatures and receive a lot of their moisture and nutrients directly from the air. Even though they appreciate somewhat humid conditions, you will want to take care not to overwater these plants.

Hoya Plant Care

Plant all of these Hoya in a cactus and succulent mix and and water when the soil is dry to the touch. Keep them where they receive adequate air circulation and lots of natural light, a south-facing window is preferred. If you don't have a humid environment, it is a good idea to mist your Hoya at least once a week. 

Listed below are some Hoya plants that we recommend as beginner house plants:

Recommended types of Hoya plants for beginners

Below are a few types of Hoya that we recommend for new Hoya parents. These types have thick leaves that hold a lot of water, so they are a little extra forgiving of new-parent mistakes.

Hoya obovata

Hoya obovata Zensability house plantWith wide oval leaves, Hoya obovata is a popular Hoya. Most leaves have silver splashes on them, in random patterns. This Hoya is very epiphytic, shooting out aerial roots along it's branches (as it would in it's natural environment, where it can be found climbing up and around tree trunks). Hoya obovata can hang over the pot or grow tied to a trellis, it has stiffer branches than other types of Hoya plants. 

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen'

 

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen' Zensability house plantThis is a variegated Hoya with thick leaves. This Hoya plant is also known as H. 'Tricolor' because it grows out in varying shades of green, white, and pink. The new growth is often pink and then reverts to white/green as it matures. This is a stunning house plant that can is fairly drought-tolerant with it's nice thick wax leaves. 

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Princess'

Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Princess' Zensability house plantHoya 'Krimson Princess' is also a variegated Hoya plant, this one has green on the outer margins and the variegation in the center of the leaves. It is a relatively fast-growing plant that will cascade over the pot. The stems can grow incredibly long, making this a fun beauty to have around the house. 

Give Hoya a try if you are nervous about owning house plants. They can also move to your patio in the summer and can thrive outdoors with indirect light and sustained temperatures over 60F. 

Shop for Hoya

 


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