Hoya Carnosa 'Krimson Princess' Wax Plant

The Hoya Carnosa 'Krimson Princess' is distinguished from other Hoya cultivar by its creamy yellow to white variegation in the leaf centers with a luscious green along their edges. Vines and new leaves occasionally emerge a bright pink and it's often confused with the 'Krimson Queen' cultivar, which has the opposite variegation pattern- green centers and white edges. It goes by quite a few names on the market, including Rubra, Tricolor and Exotica. This plant appreciates bright, indirect light and needs humidity for best growth. It is generally easy to care for. We recommend placing it in a hanging basket or shelf at eye level for a beautiful display!

Ed's Plant Profile

• Botanical Name: Hoya Carnosa
• Pronunciation: HOY-ah kar-NO-suh
• Common Name: Krimson Princess, Exotica, Carnosa Rubra
• Family: Apocynaceae 
• Native Range: Eastern Asia and Australia

Ed's Care Guide

• Care Level: Moderate
• Light: 6-8 hours of bright, filtered light. Harsh light will burn the foliage.
• Water: Allow top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out between watering; avoid over-watering. Smaller, more frequent watering is often best. 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.
• 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.