Hoya
Hoya is a vegetable in the Apocynaceae family. It grows best in bright indirect light with low moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 10-12.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Hoya
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Tropical houseplant (cuttings) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Waxy foliage; fragrant star flower clusters. Note: Considered pet-safe.
Hoya (Hoya carnosa), the wax plant, is a long-lived trailing/climbing houseplant with thick waxy leaves and clusters of fragrant star-shaped flowers; tolerant of neglect and pet-safe.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Hoya carnosa|Hardiness zones: 10-12|Propagation: cutting|Light: Bright indirect light|Water: Low|Mature size: trailing 2-6 feet
Plan your hoya planting
Add hoya to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Most keep best refrigerated; storage crops prefer a cool, dry spot.
- Freeze: Blanch briefly, cool, then freeze — keeps color and texture.
- Can: Pressure-can low-acid vegetables; water-bath only pickled/acidified ones.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting— extension-sourced, with citations
When to feed, prune & water
Attract beneficial insects and protect pollinators
Protection- Routine carePlant insectary flowers and tolerate light pestsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Grow a diversity of flowering plants (including small-flowered umbels and asters) to feed predators and parasitoids, and tolerate low pest numbers so natural enemies have prey to stick around.
- Routine careNever spray open bloomsstrong evidence — extension confidence
Avoid insecticides on flowering plants and apply any needed sprays in the evening when pollinators aren't active, and favor selective products over broad-spectrum ones to spare bees and beneficials.
Support monarchs on milkweed
Care- Routine careTolerate aphids; never spraymoderate evidence — extension confidence
Milkweed feeds monarch caterpillars and pollinators, so skip insecticides entirely. Oleander aphids look alarming but rarely harm the plant — knock them off with a water jet or wipe them off by hand and leave the rest for the butterflies.
Something looks wrong?
Describe what you see on your hoyaand we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.
Aphids
Pestlow- CulturalBlast off with water· every 3 days · ~2 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
Knock colonies off with a strong jet of water in the morning; repeat every few days. Light infestations rarely need more.
- OrganicInsecticidal soap - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
For persistent colonies apply insecticidal soap to undersides per label. Avoid open flowers.