CULTURE OF FAVORITE PLANTS. 
HOYJC. 
•F the Hoyas, or Wax-plants, there are three or four common 
species, all of them very beautiful. They are mostly woody vines of 
a scandent or climbing nature, with waxy, ovate leaves; and, though 
properly belonging to the hothouse, can be grown with the greatest 
ease as parlor plants, always with the understanding that warmth must 
be supplied in winter, and that they be kept free from frost. Of course, 
the blossoms must not be expected to appear as abundantly as when placed in 
a higher and moister temperature, but, should they utterly refuse to bloom, the 
beauty of the foliage would amply compensate for the little care they require. 
They can, however, be almost always made to bloom by withholding the usual 
water supply, and suffering them to become partially dry for several weeks. 
The flowers are most exquisitely beautiful, the clusters being composed of from fifteen 
to twenty florets arranged in the form of a simple umbel. Each floret is in the shape 
of a five-pointed star, with the points slightly recurved. The texture is like wax, with a 
rather plushy surface. The buds open always in the evening, and all at one time, as if 
by electricity, so sudden is the transition from bud to blossom. When plants are well 
established they grow freely and rapidly, if not neglected in the matter of a judicious 
application of water to leaf and root. One in our own collection (the Hoya carnosa), in 
a twelve-inch pot, makes each season vines about eight feet long, and blooms very freely 
in a common sitting-room with a southern aspect. 
We would advise our readers, however, to secure good-sized plants in the first place, 
those with old flower stems or buds, if possible; for, though growing readily from slips, 
they are many times very perverse in starting rurmers, often remaining stationary for a 
provokingly long time. The flower or bud stems come from the axils of the leaves, gen¬ 
erally at every alternate joint of the young growth, forming one year and blooming the 
next, and from that on, season after season, though sometimes skipping. Occasionally- 
buds come from the old wood of the vines as well. These dark or woody flower-stems 
should never be cut off, as there is always a central or live tip for future bloom, and the 
apparent unsightliness is amply compensated for by their superior flowers. 
The best soil is said to be three parts loam, two parts leaf-mold, and one part sand, 
with a little broken charcoal. It should be light and open, with good drainage. The 
repotting should be done in spring, just as soon as the plant begins to grow, and the 
plant thoroughly watered; after which water should be withheld a week or more until 
new roots begin to form. When in a large pot they need not be disturbed every year. 
In summer they should be watered when the earth is dry on the surface; in winter, once 
a week, or less often, will do. During the growing season the plant should have a watering 
of liquid manure, not very strong, once or twice a week. 
In propagating, the slips should be laid aside a day or two, until the sap closes the 
wound. The cuttings should then be placed near the sides of the crock, and started, if 
possible, in a gentle heat. The leay^es also answer as slips. The only insect we have 
seen on them is the mealy bug , which with a little care is easily kept under. In sitting 
rooms the foliage and stems will require washing occasionally to remove the dust. 
