Hoya kerrii - Hoya heart

The Hoya kerrii or Sweetheart Plant is a tropical houseplant named for its distinctly heart-shaped leaves, making it a popular choice for Valentine's Day or as a romantic gift. Interesting year-round, it develops thick, glossy leaves that grow on long lianas, making it ideal for hanging baskets from which it cascades beautifully. In this type of species, the leaves are a uniform medium green. Its stunning flowering of porcelain-like flowers can be temperamental and slow to appear, but its umbels of white flowers resembling fine porcelain are exquisitely beautiful.

The Hoya kerrii or Hoya obovata var. kerrii is also known as Wax Flower and Valentine Hoya. This species originates from Southeast Asia, particularly northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, southern Vietnam, Java, and parts of China. In these regions, this epiphytic plant climbs up other vegetation, using it as a support to reach several metres in height. This slow to moderate growth rate Hoya kerrii develops very thick, succulent leaves on lianas that can grow up to 4 metres long. Its spring or summer indoor flowering produces umbels of star-shaped, creamy-white flowers with a red centre, featuring a remarkable texture reminiscent of porcelain with tiny red pearl-like centres. Clustered in groups of 15 to 20 or more, they are borne on long floral peduncles, forming bunches around 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. Primarily epiphytic shrubs or lianas, they often anchor themselves to tree trunks and branches using aerial roots enabling them to grow towards the light. This unique climbing habit has made them popular as ornamental houseplants ideal for climbing supports or for cascading down from hanging baskets.

The Hoya kerrii prefers bright, indirect light but also enjoys a few hours of direct sunlight daily, avoiding the strongest midday rays. Use an epiphytic plant substrate such as an orchid mix and allow it to dry out completely between waterings. The Hoya kerrii thrives in temperatures between 18°C and 26°C, with an ambient humidity between 40% and 60%. You can choose to train it to climb up a support such as a simple stake or small trellis, or alternatively, to grow it in a hanging basket, letting its flexible stems trail freely.