With its white or red flower balls, composed of countless waxy star blossoms, the porcelain flower spreads tropical flair on the windowsill. The floral splendor is accompanied by heart-shaped, oval or elongated, leathery leaves. An easy-care, climbing indoor plant is hidden behind the exotic silhouette. You can read here in the answers to frequently asked questions what the flowering and ornamental leaf plant values in cultivation.

The porcelain flower is an impressive exotic

care tips

For the successful care of a wax flower, it is sufficient if you can fall back on basic gardening knowledge. The basic requirement is a bright, warm location in combination with a well-drained substrate, such as orchid soil. Furthermore, an adequate climbing aid should be available for climbing Hoya. Optionally, the exotic plant can let its shoots dangle gracefully from the hanging basket (€11.99). In view of these general conditions, care for the porcelain flower as follows:

  • Water moderately with lime-free water from April to October
  • From November to March, water only enough to keep the soil from drying out
  • Spray gently with soft water every 1-2 days
  • Apply a potassium-rich liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks from May to September
  • Break off or cut off wilted flowers along with the peduncle

Do not expose the wax flower to a cold draft. Only cut shoots that are too long if there is no alternative. The tropical grace is grateful for a cooler hibernation at 14-16 degrees Celsius in order to gather strength for another blossom festival.

Which location is suitable?

The wax flower favors a bright, warm location with average temperatures of 18-25 degrees Celsius and the highest possible humidity. The houseplant is protected from direct sunlight by a curtain or a shade in the conservatory. In the course of the winter break, the tropical beauty of the flowers would like a slightly cooler place at 14-16 degrees Celsius.
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What soil does the plant need?

Porcelain flowers offered in garden centers and florists are usually in normal potting soil, enriched with expanded clay (19.73€) or polystyrene beads. This substrate is of course only the second choice. If you want to offer your wax flower perfect conditions, cultivate the exotic plant in orchid soil, coconut fibers or seramis. In it, the roots are well supplied with oxygen and do not rot so quickly. Bargain foxes use standard soil or azalea substrate and add perlite breathing flakes, lava granules (13.99€) or styrofoam balls.

When is flowering time?

From May to October, the wax flower on the windowsill competes with the flowering perennials in the garden. Depending on the type and variety, they emit an enchanting scent that - depending on the flow of nectar - can be very intense. To ensure that the porcelain flower presents its most magnificent flower dress throughout the summer, regularly clean withered flower heads. To do this, use your thumb and forefinger to break the umbels along with the flower stalk from the stalk or tendril.

Properly cut porcelain flower

Cut off the withered flowers together with the flower stalk or break them off with your fingers. However, you should not attack the stems and tendrils with scissors. Every year, numerous new flowers unfold on it, the plants of which would be removed as part of a pruning. If possible, do not shorten shoots that are too long, but install an additional climbing aid if in doubt.

Pour porcelain flower

The wax flower stores a sufficient supply of moisture in its succulent leaves. Therefore, water your Hoya only moderately with soft water. If the surface of the substrate dries, only water until the first drops run into the saucer. After 15 minutes at the latest, pour out the water that has collected in it so that no waterlogging can form. Pamper the tropical porcelain flower with a gentle mist of soft water from the handheld sprayer every few days.

Properly fertilize porcelain flower

The nutrient supply is limited to the main flowering period from May to September. Apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 3-4 weeks during this period. Preferably choose a potassium-rich product that is tailored to the desire for an acidic soil value.

pests

The wax flower is susceptible to infestation by mealybugs and mealybugs. If the cotton ball-like webs appear on the leaves, counteract them with a neem oil preparation. Alternatively, you can fight the pests with cotton swabs soaked in high-proof alcohol or spirits.

hibernate

From October, the abundance of flowers decreases significantly, as the wax flower prepares for the upcoming dormant period. This is how the porcelain flower gets through the cold season alive and well:

  • Discontinue nutrient supply from October to March
  • Water only enough to keep the soil from drying out
  • Continue to spray every few days with lime-free water
  • Put in a bright place with cooler temperatures of 14-16 degrees Celsius

At the end of the winter break, repot the wax flower in fresh substrate. Now the temperatures are allowed to rise again, after which you adjust the amount of water proportionally. If the nutrient reserves in the pre-fertilized substrate are used up after 4-6 weeks, apply a lime-free liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks until September.

Propagating Porcelain Flower

Two methods have proven their worth for breeding other porcelain flowers. On climbing Hoya species, lower a vital shoot into an adjacent flower pot with poor substrate. Slightly score the fabric with a razor blade and fix the sinker with a stone. Once an independent root system has formed, separate offshoots and mother plant with a clean cut.

The propagation of cuttings is just as uncomplicated. To do this, cut off shoots with 3-4 leaves just below a leaf node in March/April. Used in peat sand, in a warm, humid microclimate under a plastic hood, rooting progresses quickly in a warm, partially shaded location. Keep the soil slightly moist with soft water. After 6-8 weeks the cover can be removed so you can transplant your youngsters into substrate for an adult wax flower.
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How do I plant correctly?

Do not repot an adult wax flower until the roots are already growing out of the opening in the ground or pushing through the substrate. The best time for this measure is in early spring, when the winter break is coming to an end. How to do it right:

  • The new pot is a maximum of 2-3 cm larger in diameter
  • Place one or more shards of pottery over the water drain as drainage
  • Fill in a first layer of the substrate
  • Only now pot the wax flower to shake off the worn-out soil

Insert the porcelain flower in such a way that the previous planting depth is retained. Pour only a little until the water runs out of the bottom opening. The Hoya can relax from the stress at the partially shaded, warm window seat. If the procedure wears out your wax flower too much, this year's flowering may fail. Do not let this irritate you, but continue with the usual care protocol unchanged. By the following year at the latest, the flower will put on its graceful blossom dress again.

Is porcelain flower poisonous?

As the toxicologists from the University of Zurich found out, the wax flower poses no danger to humans. In contrast, the plant proves to be highly toxic to birds. Even the consumption of small amounts has fatal consequences. Cultivation within reach of dogs, cats or rodents should also be treated with caution. Don't let your pets near a porcelain flower, as ingesting the flowers and leaves can cause unpleasant symptoms of poisoning.
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Porcelain flower does not bloom

If the longed-for blossom does not materialize, various triggers are responsible for the dilemma. In the following we have compiled the most common causes for you with tips on how to rectify them:

  • Lack of light: Place the wax flower in a bright location with 10-12 hours of daylight
  • Cold: During the growth and flowering period, pay attention to warm temperatures of 18-25 degrees Celsius
  • Waterlogging: All Hoya species should only be watered moderately and preferably sprayed more frequently with soft water
  • Over-fertilization: Apply the first liquid fertilizer to the pre-fertilized substrate after 6 weeks at the earliest
  • Pruning mistakes: If possible, do not cut a porcelain flower, as it blooms again and again on its tendrils
  • Change of location: If possible, do not carry the plant back and forth or turn it frequently
  • Lack of hibernation: from October to March keep cooler at 14-16 degrees Celsius, water less and do not fertilize

A bud shed is particularly devastating as the flower seemed close enough to touch. The trigger for this misery is a place in full sunlight. At least a close-meshed curtain should protect the wax flower from the midday sun.
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brown leaves

In view of brown leaves on a wax flower, we usually assume drought stress. In fact, the porcelain flower reacts to waterlogging and root rot with this type of damage. Immediately repot the Hoya in dry substrate and water only moderately from now on.

Yellow leaves

Yellow leaves are a classic symptom of leaf chlorosis. Wax flowers show this damage if they are watered with hard water or kept in a calcareous substrate. Since all Hoya species require an acidic pH, too much lime will lock down important nutrients in the substrate, such as iron and magnesium. Change the water supply to soft rainwater or decalcified tap water. Use bog or rhododendron soil, orchid substrate or standard soil as a substrate.

Beautiful varieties

  • Red Button: Globular flowers with numerous dark red individual flowers rise above silver-speckled leaves
  • Mathilde: Beautiful wax flower whose white starry flowers adorn a purple corona over oval leaves
  • Krimson Princess: Cream-colored, green-edged decorative leaves accentuate pink-colored flower balls
  • Hawaiian Purple: Umbel-like spherical flowers in a rich dark red are enthroned over leaves that are up to 12 cm long
  • Stargazer: A floral jewel with white-red flowers, an intoxicating honey scent and powerful, leathery leaves
  • Hoya bella: Compact wax flower with upright, later overhanging stems and white-red flowers

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Vegetable garden