Yesterday I was visiting a wildlife rehabber and I was enjoying her knowledge and darling Australian accent when the conversation turned to plants (big surprise, right?).

Then this wonderful lady asks if I have any “Walking Irises” and I said that I didn’t. She tells me, “Oh well, then I have something for you!” And I scored big time as she gave me some “babies” off of her Walking Irises that she keeps as houseplants. This is my favorite thing about gardeners — passalong plants. Gardeners love sharing their booty with other plant people.

By “babies” I mean those cute little offspring that grow on a long, draping stem off of the mother plants just like they grow on spider plants. I have no idea what the fascination is, but I love spider plant babies (or plantlets), so the Walking Irises’ kids were a shoe-in for me. The babies of both plants show up where little flowers once bloomed.

One of my favorite subjects in the world involving plants is propagation, so this was the most pleasant surprise of the day. Usually, I would have gone home and planted the little babies in damp media to get the roots going, but she assured me that the Apostle plant was stupidly easy to root and to pop them into a glass of water. When I could see the roots growing, then plant them into a pot of soil.

I took them home and just cut them off of the strappy stem they were growing on, and set them into individual glasses of water. The kitchen window gets bright light, but not direct sun. By the way, the reason that the water in the glasses are at low levels is because when I filled them too high, the cuttings would sit well below the water level and I really didn’t want the whole thing soaking while I waited for roots. Keeping the water low allowed the outer leaves to keep them situated just right.

Walking Irises (Neomarica) or Apostle plants are so called because when they’re planted outside the ground, the little plantlets rest on the soil and take root. So, as they reproduce, they seem to be “walking” through the garden. The name “Apostle” plants comes from the idea that twelve leaves show up before the plant will flower. I have no idea if this is a hard-and-fast rule nor if the plant can count. But there it is.

Our temperatures drop pretty low here, so I don’t think I’ll risk growing them outdoors. They’ll remain as houseplants during the cool months and will spend the warm months vacationing outdoors under a tree or something.

Walking Iris flower photo by Ryan D. Kitko
Walking Iris cuttings photos by Chris McLaughlin
Walking Iris by the pond photo by Mauroguanandi
Indoor Apostle plant by Htm

Hoya carnosa (or Wax Plant) has thick, waxy leaves and umbrella-type clusters of star-shaped flowers that ooze sweet nectar in the heat. They’re veritable nightmare for hummingbirds with addictive personalities. Their flowers are unreal looking — that is to say, they look incredibly fake.

Hoyas are seasonally fickle. In the summer, they like it warm with bright light for good flower bud formation. But come winter, they like it cool (50-55 F). Which is why in our mild climate, I’ve been able to over-winter the little darlings outside in a protected area.

Not that this doesn’t freak me out.

It does. Which is why during an extra cold winter I wimp out and end up bringing them indoors. They also like very little water during this time.

While perfectly at home in well… the home, my hoyas thrive in spring, summer, and fall outside in a garden area with dappled shade. They are super easy to propagate, too. Take some stem cuttings and pop them in water. When you see long roots, pop them into a pot. Remember, this is not a baby plant. A cutting is a clone of mama, so you don’t have to wait for maturity to get blooms.

The two no-nos with hoyas are: Don’t move these guys once the flower buds appear or they may drop ‘em. And don’t re-pot them until you have to. I didn’t re-pot mine for seven years (seriously — on purpose) and they bloomed like crazy. Other than that, they’ve been some of the easiest plants I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.

These particular hoyas have special meaning for me because a dear friend of mine entrusted them in my care when her grandmother passed away. Her grandmother grew them for about ten years, so these guys have an twenty-first birthday coming up!

Photo #1 by Chris McLaughlin
Photo #2 By GJ Family
Photo #3 by Chris McLaughlin