Hoya carnosa 'Freckles' 6470

🌿 The Hoya carnosa 'Freckles', commonly known as the Freckled Wax Plant, is a cultivar of Hoya carnosa from the Apocynaceae family. This tropical trailing vine originates from Eastern Asia and Australia, where it naturally climbs trees in warm, humid forests. It's an intermediate-level plant that rewards patient growers with its unique speckled foliage and sweetly scented blooms. Fun fact: Hoya carnosa can live for decades and often blooms more prolifically as it matures, with some specimens flowering continuously for months once established.
FOLIAGE AND GROWTH HABIT
This hoya produces thick, waxy leaves with a stunning speckled pattern of cream and pink flecks scattered across deep green surfaces. The leaves are oval-shaped and succulent-like, growing along vining stems that can trail or climb depending on how you train them. Each leaf has a smooth, glossy texture that catches light beautifully, and the random splashing of colour means no two leaves look exactly alike.
FLOWER DETAILS
The star-shaped flowers appear in rounded clusters called umbels, with each tiny bloom featuring waxy white petals and a contrasting pink or red centre. These flowers release a strong, honey-like fragrance that intensifies at night, filling your space with a sweet, almost perfume-like scent. The blooms are incredibly long-lasting, often staying fresh for two to three weeks, and the plant tends to rebloom from the same flower spurs year after year. To encourage flowering, provide bright indirect light, allow the plant to become slightly root-bound, and resist the urge to cut off spent flower stems since new blooms emerge from the same spots.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
🌞 Light: Bright indirect light for 6-8 hours daily. Can tolerate some morning sun but avoid harsh afternoon rays that may scorch the variegated leaves.
💧 Water: Water thoroughly when the top two inches of soil feel dry. During spring and summer, this might mean weekly watering, while winter may only require watering every two weeks. Bottom watering works well to avoid wetting the leaves.
🌡️ Humidity: Prefers 40-60% humidity but adapts to average home conditions. Higher humidity encourages faster growth and more reliable blooming.
🪴 Soil: Well-draining chunky mix with orchid bark, perlite, and peat or coco coir. Good aeration prevents root rot.
🏺 Potting: Use a pot with drainage holes, slightly snug rather than oversized. Terracotta or plastic both work. Repot every 2-3 years only when severely root-bound, as hoyas bloom better when their roots are crowded.
🌱 Growth rate: Moderate to slow. Expect 6-12 inches of new growth in the first year. Mature vines can reach 3-4 feet indoors with proper care.
👩‍🌾 Fertilizing: Feed monthly during spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Skip fertilizing in fall and winter when growth slows.
🐾 Pet friendly: No. Hoya carnosa contains compounds that can cause mild stomach upset, drooling, or vomiting if ingested by cats or dogs. Keep out of reach of curious pets.
WHERE TO PUT IT
This hoya thrives in bright bathrooms where humidity naturally runs higher, or near east or west-facing windows in living rooms and bedrooms. It looks stunning in a hanging basket where the trailing vines can cascade down, or trained up a small trellis on a shelf. Avoid placing it in low-light corners, cold drafty areas near exterior doors, or directly above heating vents that will dry out the air too much.