Hoya carnosa 'Rubra'

I bought this one as a really big and loooong (almost 2 meters) hanging plant in July 1999. It was then called Hoya 'Tricolor'. When I was walking there in the nursery holding it high up, people started asking me questions as if I was working there! Well, the plant made it home and soon after it flowered with different colour umbels. It was a beautiful sight (too bad I didn't have a digital camera back then). I had this plant hanging right next to my balcony door in my apartment and this door was almost always open during the summer. Even on a day when it was really windy outside and I heard a crash... It was the 'Rubra' and I found it in pieces on the floor. I managed to save most of it so that it had about 1 meter long vines. It still looked good, but it had lost several peduncles...

We moved into our house in August 2002 and the 'Rubra' survived the move without any problem. It was now placed on a piedestal instead of hanging. Well, dogs and cats fight sometimes and so did mine... They crashed into the piedestal and again the 'Rubra' was in pieces on the floor... By now, the vines didn't look too good since my dog must have thought it tasted good. She didn't get sick or anything, but the 'Rubra' looked awful. I managed to save some cuttings and this time I planted them to climb on a support. Now it's looking nice again. It flowered again in July 2004 and the flowers this time were darker pink and really beautiful. They smelled just like chocolate when you stuck your nose into them. Once in a while the flowers are paler, but they still have the chocolate fragrance... So, who cares?!!

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