Hoya lanceolata subsp. bella, commonly called Miniature Wax Plant, is a delicate trailing vine native to the Himalayas and northern Burma that brings the exotic charm of fragrant, star-shaped flowers indoors. Unlike its larger cousins, this subspecies stays compact at just 12 to 18 inches tall and wide, making it perfect for smaller spaces, shelves, and hanging baskets. The plant's waxy, lanceolate evergreen leaves and sweetly scented flower clusters appear in summer, and while hardy only in zones 11 and 12 outdoors, it thrives as an indoor houseplant or in greenhouses across much cooler regions. Low maintenance and rewarding, it asks little more than bright light and moderate water to produce its showy, fragrant blooms year after year.
Partial Sun
Moderate
11-12
18in H x 18in W
—
High
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Delicate star-shaped flowers with a sweet fragrance emerge in tight clusters from the leaf axils, each bloom measuring just half an inch across. The waxy foliage stays neat and compact, reaching only 12 to 18 inches in both directions, so even small apartment dwellers can grow this tropical beauty. Trained to a small trellis or allowed to trail from a hanging basket, it adapts beautifully to whatever shape your space demands. Summer blooming is reliably abundant when the plant receives at least half a day of direct sun indoors.
Grown primarily as an indoor houseplant and decorative vine, the Miniature Wax Plant is valued for its ornamental flowers and compact habit. It thrives in containers on bright windowsills, hanging baskets, or trained along a small trellis or framework indoors. In warmer climates (zones 11 to 12), it can be cultivated in greenhouses or as an outdoor vine where frost does not occur.
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Pinch back stems occasionally to encourage branching and a fuller habit, and train stems along a small trellis or framework if you prefer an upright form. Remove any leggy or dead growth to maintain the compact shape this variety is prized for. Avoid heavy pruning, as the plant flowers from established stems; light shaping is all that's needed to keep it tidy.
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