Hoya Growing in Water

Are you a sneaky indoor house plant grower who stoops so low as to “grow” artificial plants indoors? I had a pleasant lunch with a friend of mine the other day until I discovered artificial vines trailing from a hanging vase in a sunny window of her kitchen. A perfect place for almost any vine that can be grown in water! She was shaky about what plants she had tried to grow in the vase, but she was sure of the fact that the water quickly developed a fine sense of smell.

Charcoal is phenomenally effective in removing offensive odors from water, and it can be bought from garden supply stores, or through the mail. Before using the charcoal, wash it off with cold water to remove loose soot or other particles that would cloud the water.

The most fetching hanging vase I’ve ever seen was a brown jug filled with rooted wax plant cuttings, all growing in water. The glass of the jug was barely transparent. Three kinds of wax plant were used: Hoya carnosa (plain green leaves), a variegated form of carnosa and Hoya bella (miniature). I made a similar planting, and though my knowledge on hydroponics was non-existent, I gave the vines food by following the directions on a tub of soluble house plant fertilizer. The vines will thrive unbelievably long without any food in the water.