Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning

Hoya carnosa

I know that the love of gardening is not exclusive to those of us GRITS (Girls Raised In The South). Women from all 50 states have a love for all things green & growing.  It just seems that it is expected of us who are from the south to have a garden or at least grow a tomato or two. Like any good southern woman I appreciate a pretty garden. My grandmother  was a florist who loved to garden. She had a huge glass greenhouse back in the 50's. She had a compost pile & raised earthworms before anyone had to encourage her to go green. I did not inherit that skill. I garden vicariously through Southern Living magazine or HGTV. While my mother, sisters, & nieces  putter outside in their gardens  I can be found in the lazy boy watching Curb Appeal spruce up some ugly yard.


 I do have plants but I only grow the species that thrive on neglect. (We will not entertain the psychological ramifications of that at this time)  If the plant needs more than dew or rainwater it won't last long with me. But what I lack in green thumb I make up for in longevity. I have had my  Hoya plant for 15 years . The delicate flowers caught my attention and I remembered my grandmother had one she called a wax plant. They are in the milkweed family so I guess that makes them a weed of sorts. Hey, my kind of plant. Hoyas are a vine and mine is climbing on an obelisk I bought from Lowe's clearance for $2.00. I know Spring is in full swing when my Hoya plant blooms.

My Hoya plant is loaded with blooms

The blooms before they open

Almost ready to bloom

When you touch a flower they feel like velvet

The flowers are loaded with nectar that keep the bees happy