💘 Hoya kerrii or heart chain: the ideal plant for Valentine's Day?

Are you dreaming of a Valentine's Day under the sign of plants and love? Two plants could meet your expectations: Hoya kerrii and heart chain (Ceropegia woodii). To help you decide between these heart-shaped foliage plants, here are five criteria to help you make your choice.

The easiest to live with: a slight advantage for Hoya kerrii

Both Hoya kerrii and Ceropegia woodii are suitable for beginners - Photos by Nikokin /iNaturalist and M. Dumat Flickr

In love as in gardening, you don't always want to complicate your life. Hoya kerrii and Ceropegia woodii are two easy-to-maintain plants. Semi-succulent, they'll put up with your mistakes and watering oversights, and don't require much of you. To help them flourish, give them :

A bright spot behind a window;
A well-draining substrate;
Two to three waterings a month;
A little fertilizer to boost their growth.

Hoya kerrii and chain hearts are ideal for beginners and repentant serial plant-killers. But if you're looking for a no-holds-barred relationship, opt for Hoya kerrii instead. It's better suited to semi-shade, whereas Ceropegia woodii tends to wilt if it doesn't get enough light. The heart plant is also more resistant to parasites and more forgiving of forgotten watering.

The most romantic: heart chain advantage

Hoya kerrii are often solitary hearts - Photo by Mokkie / Wikipedia

When you love, you don't count... Except when you find yourself offering a single leaf from a potted Hoya kerrii. Because yes, that's how it's often found in garden centers. And, lacking nodes or petioles, many of these leaves will never grow into real plants. In other words, the romantic effect can quickly fall flat.

The chain of hearts, on the other hand, gives you your money's worth: dozens, hundreds of little leaves and as many little hearts. And if you're aiming for the ultimate in romance, go for Ceropegia woodii variegata, with its pink variegated foliage.

The most rewarding: chain-of-hearts advantage

Ceropegia woodii quickly forms long vines - Photo by Maja Dumat /Flickr

Some relationships take their time. Others give you everything, right away. When it comes to speed of growth, the heart chain is the clear winner. It grows fast, especially if it's bathed in light. Stems lengthen, leaves multiply and your love grows and grows.

Hoya kerrii, on the other hand, is all about slow romance. This shy plant takes years to produce a complete stem from its famous single leaf. As for flowering... It takes two to five years. A love that requires patience and is not always crowned with success!

The most pet-friendly: advantage Hoya kerrii

Your cat will love your heart chain. Maybe even a little too much! Jeanne / Plantnet

It's not just your ex that can be toxic. Plants, too, can contain irritating substances if touched or ingested. Fortunately, this is not the case with these two plants. Neither is dangerous to your pets.

But Hoya kerrii scores a few extra points if you live with a cat as curious as a jealous husband. Its fleshy leaves are unlikely to be mistaken for catnip. The heart chain, on the other hand, has long, dangling stems... That look far too much like a toy. And if your feline or dog falls in love with your Chain of hearts, watch out for the drama!

The most beautiful bloom: equality

Are you more of a flytrap or a porcelain flower? Photo by Maja Dumat /Flickr and Hobbykafe /Wikipedia

Flowers are the apotheosis of romance. And that's just as well: the Hoya kerrii and the Chain of Hearts know how to show themselves at their best. But both offer a very different spectacle.

Hoya, including Hoya kerrii, are renowned for their porcelain flowers. White, starry, waxy and delicate, they give off a pleasant honey fragrance. If you like conventional beauty, Hoya kerrii is the plant for you.

But if, like Baudelaire, you think the beautiful is the bizarre, then turn to Ceropegia woodii. Its small, lantern-shaped pink or violet flowers are less spectacular. But they possess a magical power: they can trap insects between their hair-covered petals, just long enough to smear them with pollen. They then release them to pollinate other flowers.

Verdict:

Even if Hoya kerrii's bloom is enough to thrill the most romantic, at Monstera, we're finally giving our rose to Ceropegia woodii. Hoya kerrii is superb, but the risk of spending years watering a single immobile leaf can break more than one heart. The Chain of Hearts, on the other hand, will give you love, abundance and visible growth.