Hoya who? Agreed, 'Variegated Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen' is quite a mouthful. Its name and appearance sure get your attention, but that's well-deserved by this tricolor-variegated variation of the popular Hoya Carnosa.
Hoyas are beautiful houseplants, and the variegated versions are no exception. But how do you take care of this queen of a plant? Here is a guide to - and a few go-to care tips - for the amazing Variegated Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen.
Your Guide to Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen
Loved for its variegation on the outer sides of its leaves, the Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen's foliage is typically green on the interior with whites, creams, and pinks around each leaf’s border. Some might even be entirely white.
Image credits @vancityplantmom
The Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen's appearance should not be mistaken by its sister plant the Hoya Carnosa Krimson Princess, whose leaves are green on the border, not on the interior. All and all, the long, somewhat thin, and curly vines on this variegated Carnosa Queen plant produce succulent-like green leaves with a mixture of greens, creams, pinks, and occasionally ivories.
Hoya Carnosa Are Popular Houseplants
Native to Southern India and growing wild all over Southeastern Asia and Australia, it has been a popular houseplant around the world for decades. Hoya Carnosa in particular is a climbing type with succulent leaves and woody stems. They produce flowers in ball-shaped clusters that are usually light or dark pink, sometimes white.
Image credits @pottersjungle
Before the flowers open, the tightly closed waxy buds look almost plastic with a shape resembling candy, some say. When the flowers open, they reveal little five-pointed star shapes that are covered in a fine coating of hair. The flowers are known to produce sticky, sweet nectar that smells lovely, and more intense at night with notes of honey, chocolate, and butter.
Care Tips for Your Variegated Hoya Carnosa
There are around 900 known species, cultivars, and hybrids of Hoya, so naturally, each of these has different traits and care requirements. The Hoya Carnosa species is known to be one of the easiest of them all and quite happy with a little neglect. But still, these tips on how to treat this waxy almond-shaped variegated queen are good to take as advisement.
Lighting
Variegated Hoyas like the Krimson Queen prefer brighter light conditions. Variegated plants need more light compared to non-variegated species because only the green areas of the leaves are able to absorb sunlight. This is also why heavily variegated or all-white leaves on the Krimson Queen can die off. They don’t absorb any sunlight, so the plant might just give up on them eventually.
Do you notice lessening variegation of your Krimson Queen? This is normally caused by it not having enough sunlight. Be sure that it is placed in a bright, indirect lighting area, or use a grow light.
Watering
The forgiving plant species as they are, Hoya Carnosa's don't mind if you forget a watering or two. Since these plants are succulent-like, they can be drought-tolerant. The Krimson Queen stores water in its fleshy, succulent-like leaves. A good rule of thumb is to water when the leaves start to wrinkle a little bit, or when the soil dries out. Much like other hoya plants, it does not like to be overwatered. It’s generally safer to always keep a lighter hand with water.
Image credits @vancityplantmom
Temperature
In general, Hoyas make great bathroom plants if you have the right lighting because Hoya Carnosa is known to thrive in humidity. Regular room temperatures are also perfect though for your Krimson Queens as long as it's not exposed to frost or cold temperatures.
Soil
The soil is an important part of the Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen. They say 'No thank you' to wet feet! Well-draining soil is key. Help facilitate drainage and allow for the roots to not be drowned when watering since this plant doesn’t like to be overwatered. A chunky or lightweight soil mixture works best. Hoyas are light feeders and don't require a lot of fertilizer to bloom like some flowering plants. In fact, it's best not to fertilize at all when the Hoya is in flower, as over-feeding can discourage flowering.
Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen - Quite the Ruler Amongst Houseplants
Even though the easy-to-care-for variegated version of the Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen, also known as the wax plant, is an old-fashioned plant, it is making a royal comeback to your urban jungles and greenified office desks. When you make sure to keep an eye on her care, not neglect but don't over-pamper, she's here to stay and will give you an amazing tri-colorful addition to your plant collection.
