How to Care for Hoya Plants

Commonly known as trailing houseplants, hoyas are happy to grow indoors in bright light or outdoors in warmer weather. With their flowing foliage and beautiful flowers, these plants are an excellent choice to add to your list of plant must-haves. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for hoyas.

About Hoyas 

Hoyas are a genus of evergreen perennial plants native to tropical and subtropical areas, and over 500 species have been identified. They are mostly creeping or vining, and many species love something to climb. In nature, many are epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants and have no attachment to the soil.

In temperate areas in North America, many species are popular houseplants with attractive leaves and beautiful, often scented flowers. The plants grow well indoors and prefer bright light. They will tolerate fairly low light levels but may not flower.

Creeping types of hoyas look lovely in a hanging basket or allow them to spill over their pot and trail down off the shelf. Some hoyas like to climb, so plan accordingly when selecting a variety.

Hoyas have simple, oppositely arranged leaves, but with a genus composed of many members, the variation in leaf shape is huge. In fact, many people who refer to themselves as ‘hoya heads’ collect dozens or hundreds of species just for this fact–they have a never-ending selection of foliage shapes and textures.

Hoyas do flower and are generally shaped like five-pointed stars. Some, like the Hoya lacunosa, have fragrant flowers! The flowers are frequently born in clusters, forming a ball or sphere. Many individual flowers are small, but some species sport blooms up to three inches in diameter.

With such a large genus, the cold hardiness of hoyas varies. While they are warm-weather plants, some can tolerate a bit of cold. Generally, hoyas can be grown outside in USDA zone 9 and warmer. Check the tag on the specific plant you purchased, as some varieties are less hardy than others.