When Mickey last came down, about 3 years ago, he helped me to re-pot my hoya. Now this plant had been in a smallish pot in my bedroom for years - about 15 - and it was very good and flowering quite copiously. Well Mickey helped me to get it out of the existing pot (which showed it was extremely pot bound) and into a large pot with new compost and food etc. As it's a climbing plant, it had wound itself round and round a few sticks I'd put in the pot to support it.

What I hadn't realised is that the hoya likes to feel squashed and I'd now unsettled it by putting it in a large pot. It's been growing steadily but no flowers at all.... until now.

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A few days ago I'd noticed this small head of flowers - I was delighted - it looks a waxy plant when it's at this stag, but it then unfurls and we have a lovely flower which exudes a very pungent scent....


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As you can see the little flowers are made up by a sort of fuzzy stuff. It doesn't feel like it though - because it exudes a waxy syrupy oil (which is the smelly stuff).

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It's a fascinating plant - so highly scented and such a complex covered flower - and you can see the amount of flowers in one clump.....

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It looks so pretty, and a plant I love growing.. it thrives on not being molly-coddled - neglect seems to work!!!

Well next year should see loads more flowers, I may have to put the pot out in the hall, because one of these clumps is quite heavy scented, so to have several of these clumps would be way too much to have in one room.

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I seem to be more successful with neglecting my flowers this year!!!