Lucky Heart Plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Sweetheart Hoya, Sweetheart Plant, Sweetheart Valentine Hoya, Valentine Hoya and Wax Hearts.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Use water at room temperature, since cold water can shock the plant. Choose a container that drains well so the plant can dry a little between waterings.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026While growing, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed; in winter keep the compost just moist.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, give moderate water and a monthly balanced liquid feed; in winter keep the compost barely moist.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- Hoyas dislike repotting and can remain in one pot for many years.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Leaf cuttings, stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Layer in spring or summer; in late summer, root semi-ripe cuttings over bottom heat.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Follow pruning group 11 after flowering.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids and mealybugs.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mealybugs can occur. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Hoya kerrii is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to Southeast Asia. Its eponymous collector is Arthur Francis George Kerr, Irish physician and botanist.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Indo-China to W. MalesiaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Indo-China to MalesiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Far EastRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- climbing epiphyte or lithophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent, Vine; habit cascading, climbing, creepingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Trailing, Climbing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height up to 72 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, red/burgundy; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
Grown indoors as an ornamental houseplant.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Other Hoya
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
Common HoyaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetFung Wax FlowerSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetHoya gracilisSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Miniature Wax PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Pink SilverSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
More of the Apocynaceae family
Madagascar periwinkleBrown, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
OleanderBrown brittle margins with a green centre
String of heartsNew leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
African Starfish FlowerSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
AllamandaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Black BellsSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
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Aeonium undulatumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Living RockSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Milk BarrelSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Milk TreeSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African MilkbushSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.