Hoya Burtoniae Flower: How to Encourage Blooms

Hoya burtoniae is a popular houseplant, largely due to the appeal of its unique flowers. This vining plant, native to the Philippines, features soft, slightly fuzzy leaves that can develop reddish margins in high light. While its foliage is attractive, many growers acquire this plant with the specific goal of seeing it bloom.

Hoya Burtoniae Flower Profile

The blooms of Hoya burtoniae form in dense, spherical clusters called umbels, with each umbel containing up to 30 blossoms. Each small flower is star-shaped and fuzzy, featuring a deep reddish-pink corolla with reflexed petals that bend backward. At the center is a contrasting corona of gold and red.

Their scent is often described as smelling of caramel, butterscotch, or honey, and the blossoms produce a sticky nectar. The blooming season occurs during the spring and summer months, and an individual flower cluster lasts for about five to seven days.

How to Encourage Hoya Burtoniae to Flower

The most significant factor for blooming is light. The plant requires very bright, indirect sunlight to gather enough energy for flower production. A position near an east or south-facing window where it receives several hours of filtered light is ideal, as insufficient light is a primary reason these plants fail to bloom.

Plant maturity is required for flowering. A young cutting or immature plant will focus its energy on developing roots and vines. It can take a few years for a Hoya to mature enough to produce flowers, though cuttings taken from an already mature plant may bloom sooner.

Allowing the soil to dry out thoroughly between waterings can induce a mild stress that encourages the plant to bloom. Using a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content during the active growing season of spring and summer can promote flower development. Fertilizers formulated for orchids or blooming houseplants are suitable choices.

Hoya plants, including burtoniae, flower more prolifically when they are slightly root-bound. Keeping the plant in a snug container encourages it to direct energy toward producing flowers rather than expanding its root system. Frequent repotting into larger containers can delay or prevent the plant from blooming.

Caring for Peduncles After Blooming

The flowers grow from a small, specialized stem called a peduncle. As the flowers on an umbel fade, they will naturally fall off the peduncle on their own. It is important not to cut or remove these peduncles from the vine.

These structures are perennial, meaning the plant will produce new flower clusters from the exact same peduncles in subsequent years. Removing them would force the plant to expend energy creating entirely new ones, delaying the next round of flowers. Over time, these peduncles can elongate and continue to be productive sites for blooms season after season.