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Aloha Y'all,
(Hello from southern Hawaii)
Greenhouse
Our summer (after a very dry winter) has been wet and cooler than normal. The hoyas living outside are thriving!!!
They love it! It does mean that I have to fertilize more often (our rule of thumb is to apply fertilizer for every 10",
and we average 13"/month) Many of my new hoyas from David Liddle (last year) are close to being able to cut…but I want
to let them bloom first so I am being stingy with them. H. chuniana is getting ready to bloom, as are a few others,
including a new H. pottsii from Vietnam I brought back from Australia last year. I am looking forward to a bloom on
a white H. sussuela ….as well as the growing H. gigas I got from Sweden.
New Business Model
As most of you know, I am changing my Business Operation just a tad. Keeping a stock of different sizes of all the
different species and cultivars is a mammoth task - and while I love the work, I would like a bit more time to clean
my house, paint, go to the beach (what a concept!!!). So…here's the deal:
I am selling what I have growing in the greenhouse now…and what doesn't sell will go out and grow on trees OR become
large plants for Ebay next year. When I deplete my inventory of a hoya plants, I will keep the species listed in the
catalog and offer it either as a cutting or a rooted cutting (I will root the cutting for you and ship when established)
or both. The size/price of the cutting will depend on how much stock I have to offer - my intention is to ship large
cuttings.
My newer hoyas, and the more delicate ones, I will only offer as rooted plants. Other hoyas - the tougher and more
readily available I will only offer as cuttings but will root them for you upon request for a small fee. Some of us
like instant large plants, so I'll start rooting longer cuttings and multiple cuttings. If you do, email the request
and we will work it out. My hoyas from last years' trip to Australia are becoming big enough to propagate now…but I
really want them to bloom before I butcher them up.
I am delighted to take advance orders this fall. Your 'word' is all I need to start your order and grow them out until
your area thaws out enough to ship. I did this last year with a number of collectors and it worked out very well for
all of us. Seems like a win/win deal to me.
Hoya Compendium
Have you seen the Photo Compendium? What do you think…is it useful? Have you used the 'COMPARE' feature?
Is it worthwhile keeping it up to date? We haven't been getting many hits on the counter…just wondering.
The ID you will find will not be, by any means, totally scientific as it will not involve microscopic views of
their private parts…but in general it will be close enough and, at least to eliminate what your plant isn't.
Raising Hoyas!
This picture gives new meaning to the term. Looked out one morning and a bamboo shoot had come up under a table of
large plants and dumped them over.
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International Hoya Association
IHA is totally changing the format/content of their Newsletter, FRATERNA. It is going to be very 'user friendly',
with pertinent articles directed to, and for hobby growers. They have asked me to write a Q&A column on growing and
nurturing hoyas. IHA has many experts who will be able to help me out!
Membership in the IHA is 18.00 per year. FRATERNA is sent out quarterly. Check the IHA web page at
www.international-hoya.org or send dues to: IHA c/o Membership Secretary, 1444 E. Taylor Street, Vista, California 92084.
If you join the IHA for 3 years you get a lovely set of color printed and embossed hoya note cards and envelopes
(I have a set and they are beautiful).
My own personal feeling is there has been enough back biting and negativity
in the hoya world for 10 lifetimes. We need a cohesive body of enthusiasts to further our knowledge and appreciation
of this plant. I hope you all join me
Gone Visiting - again
I am leaving August 31 for New Zealand for 2 weeks, returning September 16. (This is a puzzle: I leave Hawaii
for 16 days but am only in NZ for about 12 - time zones confuse the heck out of me). This trip is a return to
where we spent 2 beautiful seasons on our boat in Tauranga (south of Auckland on the Bay of Plenty). I am going
to visit an 82 year young dear friend. Of COURSE I am going to look for hoyas; of COURSE I am going to visit
nurseries, but won't my hands look beautiful when I return!!!
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Personal Notes
On another, totally unrelated note, since being asked to be on our subdivision's (Orchidland) Board of Directors
I have waged some very interesting battles. First fighting off a strip mall in the subdivision (which we WON!)
and now fighting the construction of a cell phone tower planned for right in the midst of a bunch of houses.
Property
The 'New Road' on our property (a road thru newly acquired 6 acres of 'bush') is beginning to look like a park! With
Bob's new orange tractor, ('tractoring' is an active verb in our house) we have planted over 240 palm trees
(140 different species) as well as large ornamentals (including my coveted Amherstia nobilis). I have put in, so far (
heheheh), about 20 different Brugmansias with more to come and have planted hoyas to grow up many of the trees
(mostly Eriostemmas until shadier spots are found.). The 'new' 6 acres plus the 'old' 6 acres adds to the chores…eh,
but what else do we have do?
Creating new plantings is going to slow down when the coffee trees come ripe. Just with green cherries, the coffee trees
are bending under the weight of this years' crop. Last year was a sparse year…and this year, with the pruning coming into
stride, is going to be a banner year. Bob is picking 5 to 6 hours/week and is dreading the peak of the season when it takes
12 - 16 hours/week. By late October the beans should be dry and back from the roaster and up on the website.
Other Exotics
From time to time I come across some really delicious tropicals at the local market: Epiphyllums, Philodendrons,
Alocasias, Xanthosmas etc. I am going to be offering selected ones of these in my Catalog ---
so check it all out. Anything can be spoken for and held for warm weather.
Be well, and keep in touch. That's all (today) from our little rock in the middle of the ocean….
TTFN (Ta Ta For Now - as Pooh Bear says),
Carol
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