My first hoya (compacta).......dead

This was the hoya that started it all........from this hoya grew an obsession. I saw my first hoya flowers on this hoya compacta, and I will never forget the chocolate scent.

I have been having a lot of trouble with many of my plants lately, the past six months has proved to be quite challenging. I have no way of being able to pinpoint the problem, since there are so many factors involved: humidity is different, windows & sunlight are different, the heating of my house has changed (baseboard heaters now.....below each window, plants don't like that too much either), the windows are draftier.....etc. Add on the fact that I have let some of them go pretty dry, possibly too dry.


It could be root rot for all i know, but I am pretty confident that it isn't over watering, since i am a chronic underwaterer. Most of the plants that are dying or have died already, die the same way. Starting from the bottom and working its way down the stems, the leaves die and fall off. The stems go soft until the plant is pretty much dead. BUT.....in the end, the woody part of the plant becomes hollow inside, it doesn't seem to be rotting away. Root rot happens kind of like this, but it's also possible that it went too dry, and the roots are unable to nourish itself.

Luckily I have another hoya compacta, although this one was much nicer.

If anyone knows what is happening to my plants, please let me know......if you have advice, please share it........it's very discouraging watching my plants die.

Longicaulis & Aeschynanthus Flowers

I am really starting to miss writing in my blog, I tend to favor the good things that happen around my house, but since I moved to the East coast, I am having a lot of plant troubles......which is really discouraging. I will have to start writing about the good, the bad, and the ugly.


My Christmas cacti (actually Thanksgiving cactus) are starting to get buds. Oddly enough, only the ones in the bedroom are forming buds. this is most likely because it is the only room that does not have any artificial light interrupting, giving them 12 hours of darkness. I have a few in the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom that are not getting buds, but they never get 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. I am planning to put the others in there as well after I make room for them.



This xmas cactus was the fastest one to grow buds. It showed its first flowers a couple weeks ago and it is still growing new buds,

This lipstick plant bloomed last year about the same time as it is now. Must be a winter thing, becuse it hasnt been exposed to c0ol temps, and it also has not had any special light treatment.
I found a website about lipstick plants a while ago, it said that they werent sure there are triggers too.