The Sweet-Smelling Plant You Can Grow Indoors That Is So Easy To Care For

There's a sweet-smelling houseplant that has earned a loyal following among indoor gardeners for its clusters of scented blooms, rounded, velvety leaves, and trailing stems. It's the kind of plant that can make any space feel more alive. The porcelain flower hoya or wax plant (Hoya nummularioides) is the most fragrant species of its genus, making it an easy way to bring the scent of the tropics indoors. Though they look delicate, this species of hoya thrives when grown as a houseplant, especially if you set it in a spot with bright, indirect light. Bonus for beginners: It is surprisingly low-maintenance, too.

Hoya spp. is a genus of more than 550 plants, many of which share the common name wax plant. You can fill your home with all-natural scents by growing different kinds of hoya. The plants are native to tropical Southeast Asia. Porcelain flower hoya is a trailing vine that will clamber up a trellis if given the chance. It can grow to 6 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for a hanging basket in a large living room. This hoya, which is only hardy outdoors the hottest zones (Zones 10 to 12), typically produces its distinctive clusters of white and pink flowers once or twice a year, depending on the light and temperature in a room.

Learning how to grow and care for hoya climbing vines means understanding their unique needs. To keep your porcelain flower hoya looking its best when growing it indoors, this tropical vine, like all hoyas, needs a careful balance of light, warmth, and watering. The plant prefers consistent watering in spring, summer, and fall, though it doesn't like to stay soggy once watered. Let the soil dry totally between waterings, and scale back the volume in winter when growth naturally slows. Plant it in a loose, airy potting mix.

With the right care, the whimsical trailing vines and attractively scented blooms of your porcelain flower hoya will tumble from a hanging planter or brightly lit windowsill. The key is not pruning your porcelain flower hoya aggressively. Plants in this genus reuse the same peduncles — or flower stalk — when blooming. If you want to shape your plant, you need a plan. Ideally, wait until you repot your plant, and cut as few stems as possible above a leaf node. How to know when to repot your hoya plant? Do it before new flower buds set because moving an almost-blooming hoya can interrupt the process.

Although a porcelain flower hoya is considered a houseplant, you can grow it outdoors in warmer weather, even outside of its hardiness zones. Slowly move your plant outside one step at a time, starting from a covered area and graduating to brighter, hotter spots over the span of a few weeks. Keep your hoya out of direct sun, or the fuzzy evergreen leaves may suffer leaf burn.