Do to limited space I have to keep mine wound on supports of all kinds: wooden trellises, bamboo hoops, coat hangers and even the hangers for the hanging plants *sigh*. There's two questions answered. The exception is that some of the hanging ones drape down and cascade (Nikki does this beautifully!) which we all know is the classic look for a hanging houseplant. They don't cascade far since I have to wind them back up.

Now, I am VERY glad you asked that last question. I'd let certain hoyas roam free in my greenhouse if I had one. If I was someplace I could grow them outside, I'd let them cover an arbor, pergola, gazebo, shed, the trees, almost anything that can be used as a support. I look of them hanging too, like Denise. I'd like to see a hoya grown up on those huge arbors they use for climbing roses. Ah you have to love the power of imagination.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

With my Hoyas, I *try* to keep them contained...though I know it's a losing battle ;-)
That's just the nature of the beast.

Josh

Space requires mine to stay pretty well contained.... If I had an arbortem (if I'm going to dream, I'm going to dream BIG!) I'd let 'em go wild!

1. Tidy/Free: Which type are you?

I'd like to be tidy, I try to be tidy, it just doesn't ever seem to turn out this way. (sigh) I have a carnosa getting ready to bloom, and the plant is in such complete chaos, I'm too embarrassed to post it. And my fungii is just going every which way right now. But I console myself by saying at least I try. lol

2. Why do you gravitate in this direction?

Because they seem to do their own thing no matter how much I tell them what they should be doing. (Like my kids)

3. What plants are your exceptions to the rule?

Is it too embarrasing to say none?

4. If you lived somewhere else (e.g. a giant greenhouse, the batcave, the moon, the MET) do you think you'd grow your plants differently?

I'd like to say it would be different if I had a greenhouse, except that I used to have a greenhouse and it was chaos in there too. (sigh - again)

Renee

I grow the larger species on trellises or some sort of support but I really like the look of the pendant growing species so if that is how they would naturally grow that is what I let them do. I would probably grow more of the scrambling growing types in baskets if I had the room but if it wants to climb it gets a support.

I do grow my Hoya carnosa in a pot without any sort of support and I allow it to hang down and climb itself when it wants to. This is my largest Hoya that is not trained to grow on a support.

If I had a greenhouse it would be full of sections of tree trunks with Hoyas and orchids mounted on the surface. I would probably use big pieces of bamboo for some of the large leaved species to grow up and then the rest would be in more conventional pots or baskets. I imagine a bunch of Hoyas left totally to themselves could really create a mess of a greenhouse.

Mike

To answer my own question, due to space limitations 99% of the Hoyas that can be put on hoops are put on hoops.

I don't train lanceolatas, lacunosas, curtsii, heuschkelianas, serpens or those of that ilk. I also don't train rigidas (or aff. rigidas) or any of those long-leafed limp-vined Hoyas like benguetensis, magillivrayi and padangensis. I'm not sure why. I just put the latter group in heavy pots and let them cascade behind my shelves. I think I'll keep growing those that way for a while b/c they would be easy to change my mind about later if I wanted to. Rigidas might face the hoop soon, before they get much more mature.

My apartment is floor to ceiling bookcases on each and every wall that has no windows and now full of shelves on every wall that does have windows, which makes it extremely busy/lush. To keep that factor under control I am extremely anal about everything matching. The books I can't do anything about b/c I'm not one of those people (you know who you are) who color coordinate their books. The plants get matching pots, matching flats, matching labels, matching hoops, matching clips, matching matching matching. So, yes hoops make my tiny space not only functional but less aesthetically catastrophic.

"I imagine a bunch of Hoyas left totally to themselves could really create a mess of a greenhouse"

I was kind of thinking the same thing. After hearing everyone's responses, I realized I want to have my cake and eat it too. So, if I had limitless resources, what I'd want is: [1] a round greenhouse with trellising to allow the Hoyas to climb as they wished all the way up to the top and a catwalk. Then, [2] a museum style setting where the same specimens were grown under controlled conditions/grooming.

Hoyas are definitely a fun sort of plant to enjoy watching as they follow their own instincts. On the other hand, it's a lot easier to see and appreciate their small yet poignant developments when they are on a hoop (for example).

I'm not a neat grower. I like to let them do what they want to do. This can be problematic in some ways, but I love they way they look when they ramble. The biggest problem I face with ramblers is they weave in and out of the wires on my racks, so when it's time to repot or move them, I have to make cuttings because for many, it's impossible to squeeze the big leaves back through the wires to untangle them. Fungii is one that really needs repotting but is all over the shelves. I think I'm going to try repotting it where it sits to avoid chopping it up...

I love my GH, but it's messy. Dirt is always being spilled, and when I groom them on the high shelves, I usually just toss the dead leaves on the floor, then sweep up a couple times a week. Well, that would be ok if it was out in my yard, but it's off my kitchen, so I constantly see the mess. But I'm very good at looking past it, to the jungle that I love so much. But non-plant people would probably be mortified seeing "dirt" so close to my kitchen!

Denise in Omaha

lol I also think about the "dirt" + kitchen issue a lot, particularly since it's my primary sink for doing planty things in.

Years-old medium never seem as "gross" as minutes-old food remnants though. Give me repotting over dishes any day!

Trained. I have very limited space as I live in an apt. Allowing a hoya to go where it will would be a mess waiting to happen. The only one that is allowed to cascade is H.tsangii/DS70 and that is only because it has been a slow grower for me (though it blooms frequently).

I forgot to say that I love the idea of growing them in birdcages! That looks really cool and I just might have to try that with a couple of my plants :)! Thanks GG for the idea!

Brad AKA Moonwolf