Wax plants for the East Valley: the classic Hoya carnosa, rope hoya and a rotating shelf of collector species, all suited to bright indoor light and the dry-between-waterings routine of an air-conditioned Arizona house.
Hoyas are slow, thick-leaved tropical vines that store water in their foliage and would rather be forgotten for two weeks than watered every Saturday. That makes them one of the best houseplants for a Queen Creek home: the air conditioning that dries out ferns and calatheas barely registers on a hoya, and the bright light most of our rooms get is exactly what they want. Give one a small pot, a chunky mix and an east or filtered south window and it will live for decades — old carnosas get handed down with the furniture.
The reward for patience is the bloom: tight clusters of waxy, star-shaped flowers — pink, white or red depending on the variety — that open together and scent the room at night. Our bench carries the classic Hoya carnosa and its pink-splashed ‘Krimson Princess’, the twisted rope hoya, and a rotating shelf of collector forms. Everything here is grown for indoor life; our Houseplants page covers the rest of the bench.
These are the hoya varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season — the collector forms in particular sell through fast — so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the shelf today.
the easiest to grow and to bloom
The original wax plant: glossy, dark green oval leaves on a vine that will climb a hoop or trail from a basket, and clusters of fuzzy pink stars with a dark red center. Tough, forgiving and the first hoya most people ever bloom. Night-fragrant.
Carnosa with a creamy-yellow center to each leaf and new growth that flushes pink. Slower than the plain green form because there is less chlorophyll to work with; give it the brightest indirect spot you have and the color holds.
Leaves twisted and folded tight along the stem so the whole plant hangs like a knotted rope. Very slow, very long-lived and nearly impossible to overwater once established. Pink flower clusters appear on mature plants. Best in a hanging basket.
The Australian species: rounder, glossier leaves than carnosa and a faster, more vigorous vine that wants a trellis. White stars with a red eye, among the most fragrant hoya flowers, and one of the more willing bloomers in a bright window.
Broad, thick oval leaves with faint lighter veining and big umbels of pale pink flowers on a robust vine. Handles the dry indoor air of an Arizona summer well and grows quickly for a hoya once its roots fill the pot.
A compact plant with stiff, thick, rounded leaves held close on shorter vines — tidy on a shelf where a carnosa would sprawl. Pale pink clusters on established plants. Treat it like carnosa, a touch drier.
A carnosa-type wax plant with wavy, rippled leaf margins that catch the light. Same easy routine as the plain carnosa: bright indirect light, a snug pot and water only when the leaves lose a little firmness.
smaller plants · limited numbers
Heart-shaped, deeply puckered leaves that look quilted. A classic carnosa cultivar that stays compact for years and blooms in the usual pink stars once root-bound. A good step up from the plain green form.
Named for leaves that look like a cinnamon tree’s — large, pointed and marked with pale veins. The flowers are unusual for a hoya: lime-green petals around a deep maroon center. Wants warmth and bright light; keep it indoors year-round.
A hybrid with long, narrow leaves on a quick-growing vine and clusters of pink-to-red flowers that arrive earlier and more often than most hoyas. Forgiving, fast and the one to choose if you want blooms before the plant is five years old.
Tiny, rounded leaves on a compact, bushy vine — a hoya for a small pot on a bright shelf. Fragrant white-and-pink clusters come mainly in fall. Thinner-leaved than the carnosas, so it wants water a little sooner and appreciates a pebble tray in summer.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written for a humid greenhouse. This is the Queen Creek version.
Hoyas want bright indirect light: an east window, a few feet back from a south window, or a west window behind a sheer curtain. Direct sun through Arizona glass in summer bleaches the leaves yellow and can scorch them in an afternoon. Too little light is the more common problem here, though — a hoya in a dim corner lives for years but never flowers and grows long, bare stems between leaves. Variegated forms like ‘Krimson Princess’ need the brightest spot you have to keep their color.
Hoyas are epiphytes and rot in a big pot of wet soil. Choose a pot barely larger than the root ball with a drainage hole, and a fast, airy mix — equal parts potting mix, orchid bark and perlite is the recipe we use. Terracotta dries fastest, which is a virtue for hoyas. Repot only when roots fill the container, every two to three years, and go up one size at most; a root-bound hoya is a blooming hoya.
A hoya blooms when it is mature, root-bound and in enough light — usually two to four years from a small plant, sooner for ‘Minibelle’ and australis. A slightly cooler, drier winter rest helps trigger buds in spring. Two rules: never cut off the short, leafless flower spurs, because the same spur flowers again year after year; and once buds form, don’t move the plant or it may drop them. Flowers drip sticky nectar, so keep a blooming plant off the good furniture.
Let the mix dry almost completely, then soak it and let it drain. In an air-conditioned Queen Creek house that works out to roughly every 10–14 days in summer and every 3–4 weeks in winter, but check the plant, not the calendar: leaves that have lost a little firmness or show faint wrinkling are asking for water. Our tap water is hard; a white crust on the soil surface is mineral, not mold. Flush the pot through with extra water every couple of months, or use rainwater when you can catch it.
Feed lightly: a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at quarter strength once a month from March through September, nothing in winter. Mealybugs are the pest to watch for — white cottony tufts in the leaf axils and along stems. Dab them with a cotton swab of rubbing alcohol and follow with insecticidal soap, and check new plants before they join the collection. Aphids occasionally cluster on flower buds and soft new growth; a rinse in the sink handles them.
Hoyas are happiest between 60 and 85°F and are damaged below 50°F. In Queen Creek they can summer-camp on a covered, bright-shade patio from March into May and again from October until the first cold night, but the 105°F-plus dry heat of June through September stresses them even in shade — most do better indoors from Memorial Day to October. Never leave one out in a frost. Indoors, our 15–20 percent winter humidity is fine for the thick-leaved types; group plants or add a pebble tray for the thinner-leaved collectors.
Yellowing, wrinkling, no flowers after five years — snap a photo of the plant and its window and we’ll diagnose it at the bench. Advice is free.
Hoyas live or die by drainage. We stock orchid bark, perlite and indoor potting mix for the chunky blend they want, balanced houseplant fertilizers, insecticidal soap for the inevitable mealybug, and hoops and moss poles for the climbers. The pottery yard has terracotta and glazed pots from 4-inch up, plus hanging baskets for the rope hoya and carnosa.
Yes. Hoya carnosa and its relatives are listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA, which is one reason they’re our first suggestion for pet households. The flowers drip a sticky nectar that pets sometimes lick; it’s harmless.
Almost always light or age. A hoya needs bright indirect light and a few years of maturity before it flowers, and it blooms best when its roots fill the pot. Move it closer to an east or south window, stop repotting it, feed lightly in spring and summer, give it a cooler, drier winter — and never cut off the bare flower spurs, since that is where next year’s flowers come from.
When the mix is nearly dry and the leaves have lost a little firmness — about every 10–14 days in summer with the air conditioning running and every 3–4 weeks in winter. Overwatering is how most hoyas die. Use a pot with a drainage hole, empty the saucer, and flush the pot occasionally to clear the minerals our hard water leaves behind.
In spring and fall, yes: a covered patio or a spot under a tree with bright shade suits them from March to May and from October to the first cold night. Bring them in when nights drop toward 50°F and, for most varieties, for the hottest stretch of summer — direct sun and 110°F afternoons will scorch them even in a shaded spot. A hoya never survives a frost.
Wrinkled, soft leaves usually mean thirsty — water thoroughly. Yellow leaves on a plant that stays wet mean root rot: let it dry out, check the roots, and repot into a chunky mix if they are brown and mushy. Bleached patches are sunburn from direct sun. Sudden leaf drop after a move is shock; put it back in a bright, stable spot and leave it alone.
A small pot with a drainage hole — hoyas like being snug — and an airy mix such as equal parts potting mix, orchid bark and perlite. Terracotta helps if you tend to overwater. Repot every two to three years at most, only one size up.
We carry hoyas year-round, but the selection changes week to week and season to season: the classics — carnosa, ‘Krimson Princess’, rope hoya — are usually on the bench, and the collector forms come in smaller numbers and sell through quickly. Call (480) 987-3308 or check our Instagram to see what’s on the shelf this week.
Hoyas live on the houseplant bench; any staff member can point you to it. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.