I got my Lisa from Poland about 2 months ago. For something like $25 I got enough to make 3 beautiful plants. I did repot them immediately as the soil was pretty soggy. I have 2 Lisa's outside and one inside and they are growing well. Appear to be quite hardy for my area in So. California. I will leave 2 outside this winter . I have other Australis outside all year. It is a beautiful plant

They are both very beautiful Hoyas. I have both but I can say that I've had different varieties of Nicholsoniae. Two were not very succulent at all (Gardinos) and ended up dying. I now have a cutting that rooted nicely and is showing some sign of growth. This variety is very succulent and healthy. I love it!

Bottom line is I guess it all depends on where you get it from.

Lisa is more beautiful and grows a bit slower, but they are both nice plants.

I ended up buying a Merrill, as I read it gets reddish with more light, and I love the look of the leaves, even without red in them. At Gardino's, they require a minimum $15 purchase, before shipping, and that turned me off. ( I know they have to make a profit, but still, couldn't afford it right now) I got the Merrill on Etsy, but it had excellent reviews, both plant and seller.

Someday I'll get an Australis 'Lisa' for sure, and probably the Nicholsonaie. I do have to be creative to find room though, as all my plants are indoors. So Monica, do you think Gardino's may not be the best place to order from?

You can get a small plant of lisa from ebay for less than $16 including shipping.

Randi - I think for the most part Gardinos is great. I just have to remember they grow in FL and their conditions are different from mine about 7 months out of the year. It seems like a lot of the very succulent varieties have thinner leaves when they're grown in FL vs cooler states (that or they are just different varieties). Some examples are Obscura (I like the thicker leaves on the one I got from aurorawa and the Nicholsoniae I got from Denise. Those same Hoyas from FL had much thinner leaves). This is based on my experience others may have totally different opinions and/or experiences.

Gardinos is a good vendor and always ships very quickly and carefully. I can always get carried away "shopping" on their web site. :-)

tlbean, I don't see any plants of Lisa on ebay right now except from Thailand. And it would be great to get one for $16 including shipping! Maybe it's the time of year . . .

Here is a link..

Australis lisa The plant is $7.85 plus the shipping is $7.85. You will get the plant from Poland in about days...

Randi Holbrook Are you gonna be the new owner of a lisa? :)

Oh my gosh! I didn't realize the shipping from Poland was only $7.85! I didn't even look at the shipping cost, as I figured it would be too much, plus the fact that I thought it would take FOREVER to get here, and it would be horrible if the plant died. I'm off to ebay to look at it right now! THANKS!

The shipping went up a little since when i first told you but only a dollar and change.

Don't you have to purchase those international shipping things and papers when ordering from overseas? I thought that was what made it expensive.

Yes, a phytosanitary certificate is required for shipping into the US. There is a risk of USDA/Customs seizing and destroying your package if a phytosanitary certificate does not accompany the order. Apparently people overseas don't always follow that rule.

There is a piece of the puzzle that is missing... I dont even know how she gets the shipping so low and yet it arrives so fast in the States. Also, the few times that i have ordered from her, the package does not ever go through customs inbound or out according to the tracking......

Okay, you enablers! I went ahead and ordered 'Lisa.' And yes, I saw that the shipping went up a little. That doesn't bother me. Thank you, tlbean, for the link. I agree--I also can't figure out how the shipping is so low and it arrives so fast. I wonder if there will be any problem and my package ends up getting seized and destroyed. At least I didn't pay an arm and a leg for it. I'll be on pins and needles until it arrives, though. I'll keep you guys updated.

Ugh. Well I hate to say it but I ordered a Lisa from this is seller, almost a month ago to the day, and it has yet to arrive, and I suspect will not. I emailed the seller, yesterday, they responded saying they shipped it weeks ago. Like you said, at least it was inexpensive. I hope yours arrive safely!

April, since it's been a month past when you order it and have not receive the seller should know by now it's a lost cost and they should send you another one asap. Don't wait any longer.

April, sometimes packages get lost in transit but I am surprised how well the postal system works worldwide. Yours could still turn up but not in very good condition. I had no problem getting my Lisa from this seller. She sends them as "small packet" and writes on green form "Hoya plant".

Gets them through without a problem.

Oh April, I'm so sorry for you! Message the seller immediately and ask for a replacement!

Well, guess what showed up on my porch today! I was terrified to open it, expecting total carnage and much to my surprise the plant looks great!

Wow, that is an amazing plant. Spend several weeks in a box then coming out looking like that. I want one of those.

I know! I am very happy with it! Might be my new favorite!

april - how can a plant that was tossled for thousands of miles in a box for a few weeks yet still look fresh not become your favorite?! this is awesome. i'm glad it worked out.

April, you might want to replant it in different soil. I don't know what she uses but it stays wet forever. I repotted mine in three pots, mine was larger, and the are all doing well. Glad you finally got our plant. It is pretty awesome how it finally arrived.

Oh my gosh, April! That plant is just lovely! I can hardly believe it was in the mail for that long, and looks that good! Mine is on its way--was shipped yesterday. I'll be thrilled if it looks anything like yours! Partycat, did you repot yours right away, or wait a while for it to adjust? I would just die if I killed mine by repotting and shocking it!

Randi, this is one tough plant. I repotted 6 plants in 3 pots almost immediately. Let me tell you they are sending out new, stunning, leaves non stop. It is thrilling to watch. Not many Hoyas like this.

I will repot mine then, soon after I get it. Glad to hear it's so tough!

Just checked on the shipping status, and the green line you see shows that it's not even in transit yet, and that has shown for the last three days. Maybe they don't update it very often? It's just short of the "in transit" area. I was hoping to get it in a couple of days, but doesn't look like it right now . . .

Well, today is the 8th day since shipping, and it shows no sign of movement when I check the shipping status. I sure hope it gets here soon. I think it's still in Poland (or it seems that way when I check the status).

IT CAME! 10 days in the mail, and it's in perfect condition. Boy, you weren't kidding when you said this seller wraps very well! The box was the perfect size for it to not move an inch during shipping. It has a tiny bit of pink on one of the uppermost leaves (you can barely see it in the pic). The soil is still moist, so I see what you mean about it not drying out. I'll let it rest several days, then repot it in a well draining mix. I would highly recommend this seller. Not a single leaf was the slightest bit damaged.

Congratulations Randi. A Hoya worth waiting for. You will be impressed with how well it grows. Mine are continually sprouting new leaves.

YAY!! Congrats!

Mine was marked "home decor" on the box. I think that's how it got through without being seized. Also, I repotted it in the Gubler fine orchid bark mix today. So far, so good! I feel better now that it's in a well draining soil. The soil was STILL moist, and nearly WET at the roots! It surely would have rotted if I'd left it in the seller's soil.

Where did you get the gubler mix from?