Hi txmom! Many people have found hindu rope at the major chains--Lowes, Home Depot, Target, etc. I picked mine up at Lowes. They are usually distributed to the major chains by Exotic Angel. You might want to call the local garden centers or just go check them out. If you can't find one locally, I'll be glad to mail you some cuttings.

That's one of the things I love about hoyas...there are so many different kinds and some look totally different from their 'kin'.

Hi Txmom & Welcome,

Yes it's quite possible to find Hoya compacta (Hindu Rope) at box stores as mentioned above (along w/ several other kinds too, mostly the green & white ones commonly referred to here as Hoya carnosa varietgates).

Pls. be forewarned that the H. Compacta w/ all its nooks & crannies can hide bugs, in particular mealy bugs (they look like small bits of white or white cottony fluff).

Pls. check the plants carefully before you buy them, if you see white cottony anything, pls. don't buy 'em.

Otherwise you should be fine, good luck on your Hoya hunt & enjoy!

Thanks - I'm looking around at Lowes, Target, etc in the Dallas/Fort Worth area --- no luck yet.

I have heard this is one of the hard ones to start from cuttings. It may be true, as I just had one rot that I was trying to start. I do know they are VERY slow growing hoyas. I have a couple I got from a friend that were a couple inches long when I got them 2 years ago, and they are still about the same size. Ha.
If you can't find one in the stores, call around to some of your local nurserys. Sometimes they carry that one.
I also see them (big ones even) on Ebay every now & then at fairly reasonable prices.
Marcy

Hi Marcy,

I am surprised you didnt have much luck growing a compacta...I have a variegated one (regalis) that i just bought a few weeks ago and a green one that i have had for about a year and once established, i find the grow quite quickly....both of mine are facing west windows so they get later afternoon sun.....i also have a small green compacta in an outside plastic greenhouse for the summer with less light but much more humidity and it is also has put out a fair bit of new growth...I guess it depends on the lighting and conditions it is growing in...i do think they slow down in the winter though.....

Sandy

I do have a big one that does fine. However, none of mine "grow" a lot. Also what I meant was that I can't get it to root my usual way. And that I also heard it was hard to get to root.
I guess if I try it again, I will just wrap it in s. moss & bag it. The perilite method just rotted it.
Marcy

Oh i see...i have tried rooting them in perlite and didnt have much luck either....i have tried rooting in water and it was successful but took its time to root....

My experience has been that they are slow to root, but not hard. I've rooted quite a few cuttings in water a couple of times and no problem. One time, a couple of the cuttings still hadn't put out any roots but all the others had. I just took all of them and potted up in soil and now they are all growing.

I have my big plant (green) in a sw window where it gets late afternoon sun and it seems happy and grows pretty well. Not real fast, yet not terribly slow either.

Hi Sharon,

has it bloomed for you? mine developed a peduncle but then is at a standstill...sits and teases me and does nothing....lol...

My big one I have outside did bloom one bloom this spring. It gets some afternoon sun (about an hour) where it is and I think that helps to make them bloom. When I had it in the house, it never did bloom. I also have a small one hanging in a shady spot and it never blooms either.
Marcy

Hi Sandy,

Mine is inside and it had two blooms early in the summer. This was the first time it had bloomed and I've had it about 3 years. I never saw the peduncles forming (the plant is extremely full), but one day I noticed a bloom about to open then saw another umbel with just a few flowers as they were about to fall off.

The new plants from cuttings are still pretty small and haven't bloomed yet. One of them I gave to a neighbor, but I'm sure she'll let me know if/when it ever blooms!

Thanks Marcy and Sharon.....was curious if either of yours had bloomed.....those peduncles can be well hidden and hard to see i think unless they were about to bloom.....I am thinking some sun does help the growth spurts for sure and mine seem to do better with it...thanks for the input :)

Sandy

Last week they began showing up at Lowe's again in the 4 inch starter pots (Exotic Angel).

A few weeks ago I was walking down Main Street in my town and one of the businesses had a large compacta filling up the store window wrapping all around the window. I don't think I have ever seen one that large so evidently it loved that spot!

What direction was that window facing?
It is so hard trying to decide just how much sun these things like/need to bloom or be happy. Then if you give them too much, they either burn or the leaves take on a pale yellow color that is not attractive either. Sometimes you find just the right spot where it is happy & it blooms & then the sun changes angles in the sky and is gone, or it gets way HOT & burns the leaves. Brother!
Marcy

I believe it's probably facing East. In fact, a lot of hoyas really like East.

Found an "untagged" plant at Lowes. Can you tell me what it is?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:979436}}

Well, my uneducated guess would be Hoya kentiana.In low light they don't get the dark on the edges of the leaves like they do in higher light situations. It looks to be in the typical Exotic Angel pot, so if this is an EA plant, you will want to either repot into fresh soil, or watch your watering very carefully. It is real easy to overwater in the soil they use as it seems to hold water like a sponge.
Great find. Lucky day.
Marcy

Thanks
I found one at an estate sale this weekend also.
Are the pink leaves supposed to be like that?
No clue as to what this one is, either -- it is very large -- hangs to the ground when held about shoulder height (5' or more)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:924557}}

Txmom, the estate hoya is Hoya Carnosa Tricolor, also known as Krimson Queen. There is debate about the pink flowers. They do not contribute to the plant's food because they have no chlorophyl. Personally I cut them off of mine; other people like the contrast and leave them on. Either way, you won't be able to root them, as they'll just die without the mother plant, and its unlikely the plant will grow any further where the pink leaves are. Lovely new plants by the way!
Christine

PS to Christine's response:

The pink leaves mature into white leaves. I have this one too & on mine, some of the new leaves are actually hot pink like magenta (great color), but as the leaves age, the pink turns to white. I still find it pretty & charming & I leave my white leaves on (unless the whole branch is white, in which case I cut it off).

Hi Txmom! I want to ditto Marcy's advice about the soil on the Exotic Angel plants. My experience with them is that they don't need watering but about once a month! Also, when I've tried to unpot them to replace the soil, it's virtually impossible to remove much of the soil. Just be very careful not to over water them.

The Kentiana is one of my favorites because it's a bit unusual and grows really full and lush looking. I also like the pink/white leaves that grow on the Krimson Queen. I have one plant that is putting out a long vine of nothing but the white leaves and I'm thinking about cutting it off (but hate to do it!!). I'll just leave the other occasional ones that come along.