Hoya carnosa Flamingo Dream - Wax plant

The Hoya 'Flamingo Dream' is a cultivar of Hoya carnosa with thick, waxy leaves in a mix of dark green and intense soft pink, featuring a unique pattern on each leaf. This tropical houseplant with variegated foliage forms an elegant cascade of lush lianas, perfect for placing on a shelf or in a hanging basket. Its stunning and fragrant flowering which earns it the alternative name of 'Porcelain Flower' is exquisitely beautiful. It rewards patient gardeners with umbels of star-shaped flowers that resemble fine porcelain.

The Hoya 'Flamingo Dream' is also known as the Wax Flower. It is a cultivar derived from the species Hoya carnosa, also called Hoya carnosa 'Flamingo Dream Star of Java'. The species originates from Southeast Asia, particularly northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, southern Vietnam, and Java, as well as Australia. In these regions, this epiphytic plant climbs up other vegetation, using it as a support to reach several metres in height. The 'Flamingo Dream' with moderate growth develops slightly thick leaves on lianas that can grow 2 to 3 metres long with a spread of 1 metre. The plant itself can reach a spread of 60 cm and a length of 1 metre after a few brief years. Its spring or summer flowering indoors occurs once the plant reaches maturity, producing umbels of star-shaped, pale pink or white flowers with a striking waxy texture. Grouped in umbels of 15 to 20 or more, they are borne on long floral peduncles, forming a cluster of 5-6 cm in diameter.

The  Hoya genus belongs to the Apocynaceae family and comprises around 400 species native to the warm, humid regions of Southeast Asia, Australia, and Polynesia, where they thrive in tropical forests. Mostly consisting of shrubs or epiphytic lianas, they often anchor themselves to tree trunks and branches using aerial roots that enable them to grow towards the light. This unique climbing habit has made them popular as ornamental houseplants, ideal for climbing up supports or cascading down from hanging baskets.

The Hoya 'Flamingo Dream' enjoys bright, indirect light—ideally 10 hours a day to encourage flowering—but can also tolerate some direct sunlight in the morning or late afternoon when it is gentle. Choose an epiphytic plant substrate such as an orchid mix and allow it to dry out between waterings, except in summer or warm periods when you may water your plant several times a week. The 'Flamingo Dream' thrives in temperatures between 18°C and 26°C with a humidity level of 50 to 70%. You can either train it to climb up a support or use it in a hanging display, letting its flexible stems drape freely.