Hoya Macrophylla

The Hoya Macrophylla 'Variegata' is recognizable for its large, waxy textured leaves with cream to yellow variegated margins and hints of pink. In ideal conditions, this plant blooms round clusters of star-shaped, small white blooms with a wash of pink. This plant appreciates bright, filtered light and needs humidity to thrive. It's generally easy to care for. The Hoya Macrophylla looks especially great in a hanging basket or climbing up a lattice or totem pole, yet is equally happy on a countertop.

Ed's Plant Profile

• Botanical Name: Hoya Macrophylla 
• Phonetic spelling: [HOY-yuh] [mak-roh-FIL-uh]
• Common Names: Hoya macrophylla ‘White Margins’, Hoya Macrophylla Marginata, Hoya Macro., Hoya Macrophylla Variegated
• Family: Apocynaceae 
• Native Range: Asia and Australia

Ed's Care Guide

• Care Level: Moderate
• Light: 6-8 hours of bright, filtered light. Harsh light will burn the foliage. Too little light may cause new growth to lose variegation.
• Water: Allow to dry out between watering; avoid over-watering. This plant is drought tolerant yet if allowed to dry out too much, the waxy leaves will begin to shrivel and yellow; this is a sign to increase your watering schedule. If allowed to stay too moist, this may cause bacteria and root rot to develop. Use distilled water or rain water.
• Humidity: Average 50-75%; Tolerant of lower levels of humidity
• Temperature: 55–85F
• Pruning: Prune as needed to remove brown or dead leaves and control growth.
• Feeding: Use a general-purpose liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength once every month during the spring and summer only. 
• Propagation: Cuttings
• Growth: Fast-growing compared to other Hoyas. Trailing, vining growth habit will often follow the light and can be trained to grow up a trellis, totem pole or wall for a vertical display. This plant also looks elegant trailing from a hanging basket planter.
• Soil: Use a well-draining, lightweight soil mix, such as commercially available cactus soil.
• Toxicity: Hoya are widely known to be non-toxic to humans and animals yet if ingested may cause reactions in certain individuals. More research is needed in this area. As with all plants, we recommend you exercise caution around children and pets and keep plants out of reach.