I only have experience with big specimens of Lacunosa but in my experience they are very easy plants. I treat them just like my other Hoyas. I have had my oldest Hoya since last fall and during that time it has grown about 40 new centimeters with several new branches and new little peduncles on all of the new growth! This is my favorite Hoya in regards to fragrance.

I think Lacunosa is one of the easiest to grow and flower.

Mine is in bloom most of the time. I have it hanging by the kitchen window so I can injoy the fragrance and it's very easy to tell when a new clump opens.

Actually I have 2 pots of the green variety and 1 of the variegated form and there's a new variety out now that has a purple tint to the leaves and flowers so I'm on the look out for that one as well.

However I do find it a bit tricky to root so my advice would be to look for a hanging basket at Home Depot, Lowe's or Wal Mart since they all carry the Exotic Angel plants.
I think this one is best injoyed as a larger plant.

Jo

I agree with the other two posters, the large specimen is great! I bought a 6 or 8" basket already in flower about two years ago and there has rarely been a time when it wasn't flowering. Right now I couldn't begin to count how many sets of flowers are going at once. It's super easy to care for; if I forget to water I'll know because it does lose blooms before they flower, but of my hoyas, this one requires the least attention.

I've had much less luck with cuttings on this one than my others though, with only about half of the cuttings taking root. I just took some more cuttings to help fill in the first set because maybe only 2 of 5 cuttings survived, but are thriving!

I imagine it'll take quite a while to get one cutting to produce much of a plant because they are so delicate compared to some of the other hoyas.

Good luck!
Girl in Kalamazoo

I would also suggest you look for an EA lacunosa at a box store. I, too, have some trouble rooting this species. You might try using an aquarium - that seems to help with stubborn to root species.

Jo, did you mean the silver speckled lacunosa? Or is there actually a variegated one out there??

Denise in Omaha

Denise, there is a new one that has a purple tint to the leaves and also the flowers. I know a couple people who have found them and I've seen the pictures of both the plant and the flowers.
Very nice looking and I'm defintly on the hunt for one.
The leaves arn't variegated just very dark as is the stems also. Very pretty plant.

Jo

I find Hoya lacanosa easy to grow but my large plant did crash after I repotted so it seems to be a little touchy when it comes to rooting or root disturbance. The scent is really lovely and it reminds me of the night fragrant blooms of the Brassavola orchids, sweet and musky.

KS-Girl are you sure the other Hoya you speak of is Hoya lacanosa. Hoya lacanosa does not usually develop red or purple coloration on the leaves, it may be a closely related species like Hoya pusilla or several others species for that matter. Do you have a photo?

Mike

Thanks for all the input. So it seems it is tricky to start or repot one. Good to know. The stem that is doing okay is still holding strong. I hope it makes it to a decent sized plant. I think I'll be leaving it in that 2.5 inch pot until it really outgrows it, and then try to be careful when potting it up. Well, that's when I get to that point, don't think it'll be anytime soon. I'll see how it goes. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and hope for the best. Luckily, I also have a couple pubicalyx types started, and a carnosa 'Krimson Queen', and they don't seem to be giving me any trouble. And my kentiana baby that I got this past fall is growing well. We'll let them be my confidence boosters ; )

Hi,
I find lacunosa very hard to grow. I know I live in a different climate (I live in the UK) but I thought you might like to know that some people struggle with it. I have found extra heat and a baggie helps, I think it likes humidity. It's still on my "get rid of?" list.
Good luck with yours, Hills

I do well w/ it & Lacunosa has some of my favorite leaves. I've never had blooms, but have had a few small plants of this & loved it. I had one which I trailed on a mini-trellis I'd made of wooden coffee stirrers, very pretty even tho' I knew the untreated stirrers would rot.

I started a new cutting of Lacunosa a month ago & am just now seeing the first new growth.

For those who have trouble rooting this, I'd say I grow this on the more moist side, I NEVER let it dry out completely. Sometimes, I've used a wick which I leave hanging out the bottom of the pot to ensure complete drainage. I can't explain it well, but there's something called a 'perched water table', one of the topics of discussion w/ Al ('Tapla') of many other Forums including houseplants. Has to do w/ full & complete drainage. I find this Hoya can lose its roots &/or rot suddenly. When I grow this w/ a wick which dries, I feel it's less prone to the sudden rot, especially if it's cold (I'm in NYC).

I'm not objective abt this Hoya, it's one of my oldest & earliest favorites. Esp. the ones w/ the little 'dents' in the leaves (is that maybe Tove)?

I have found (only recently) that hard to root Hoyas/Dischidias root well when the rooting end it wrapped in a baggy of sphagnum moss, with one of those little hair clippies (or a twistee) keeping it closed. I've had excellent success with several that I've had real problems with in the past. It makes it even more successful and/or faster in the aquarium. Just my 2 cents worth...

Denise in Omaha

I am a little farther south than you. I grow my hoyas outside and in a little portable greenhouse in the winter. Lacunosa is easy for me in the summer. It adores heat and humidity. But it really really pouts in the winter for me. It is one of the harder one for me to root. I use a rooting box to keep the humidity up otherwise it dies too quickly

Dawn

I have this hoya and it flowers for me all year long. It's one of the easiest hoya to grow and I don't even give much attention to this hoya at all. The fragrant is absolutely beatiful and tend to fill the whole room with fragrance. Not sure about growing this plant from rooting though.

I have an EA lacunosa purchased 2 years ago. I nearly lost it, stuck it on the deck under a chair to die quietly, but it rallied. Not only that, it grew and grew and started blooming by early fall. It never has stopped blooming and is now my favorite.I have little problem rooting cuttings, and recently got cuttings of Sno Cap and Ruby Sue, both of which seem to be doing splendidly. Obviously, I don't find them difficult. It seems to need a lot of bright light, and probably kept slightly moist.
Sande

I find this one easy to grow and it flowers almost constantly except in the winter. However, every so often parts of it start to look rather dehydrated for no reason that I can see and I start worrying that I'm going to lose it. Last year when it did that I repotted it into a slightly larger pot and it sulked for a while but then it started growing and blooming again. I don't find it a fast grower. I've had it for almost four years yet the longest vines are only a foot long.

How did you root your lacunosa cuttings Sande? I would like to root some for my sister. My plant isn't large so I can't afford to cut too many pieces off, so I don't want to lose too many cuttings.

Sandy

Sandy, my lacunose would look wilty now and then too until I repotted it. It must be very sensitive to underwatering and/or root space. When I repotted, root disturbance was kept at a minimum. I also noted when it did look wilty, watering fixed the problem. I use a moisture meter and it has been a blessing.
As to cuttings, I have used both rootone placing in soil, as well as water (no rootone). No magic formula or science here.
Sande

Mine has also sulked in the winter. One winter it lost ALL it's peduncles (around 60) because I had it too far from the window (i learned my lesson), but in the spring the peduncles grew back in full effect! This is a great hoya...very easy to grow and bloom. I don't think I can make it stop blooming if I tried!

Gabi

I’m having bad luck with my Lacunosas also. I find them to be really hard to grow especially cuttings. I’m in Hawaii and you would think they’d like the warmth, but for some reason I can’t keep them alive. I have them growing in my patio that offers morning sun and bright light and I’m very careful not to overwater. l also notice that cuttings are really hard to root. Can anybody shed some light on this or perhaps I should stop trying to grow them.