I love new hoya leaves. Some start off looking like what they will become, others start off looking like something else. Some are just suddenly there, and for others it’s a long slow process. Whatever it is, it’s all good.
Even though almost all of my hoyas are under grow lights and the plant room stays comfortably warm, quite a few are acting like it’s spring. There are new leaves popping out all over the place. I know it’s not spring because, unlike the plants, I can read my thermometer. Sure there may be the occasional fluke of a 68°F degree day, but there are also the random -20°F days. Welcome to southern New England.
But the hoyas don’t seem to know, and I’m not telling them. In the middle of the gray days of February, it’s very nice to see something green and growing. It’s also good to remember my early struggles with hoyas, to recall those times when they wouldn’t grow for me, when some were on death’s door. Some plants can be like that, milestones that remind you of how far you’ve come.
So I stand there beside my shelves, magnifying glass in hand, wondering whether or not that’s a new leaf, and letting loose a “woo-hoo” when it is. It’s the little milestones.
I’ll keep you posted.
