So this Hoya microphylla is starting to bloom.

He's got a peduncle here that is working on his little flowers and he looks kind of red in the leaves.

This is actually sun stress.

So when you have Hoyas in really bright light, it's common for them to turn red or brighter orange colors.

And it goes away when the bright light goes away.

[cheerful music] My name is Melissa Hagen-Wilson.

And today we're going to talk about companion plants for orchids.

Some of the plants that I have chosen to talk about today are all epiphytic and native to tropical places in the world.

So not cold hardy.

We're going to start with anthuriums.

Probably you recognize the Dutch anthurium.

They're pretty common.

They come in a lot of really nice colors.

Since the pandemic, we have had a lot of really awesome hybrids that have become available.

And while they are collector's items, they have collector's prices.

They are really stunning.

A lot of anthuriums can start out pretty small, but over time, some varieties do get quite large .

To care for anthurims, you're going to want to have a very airy barky mix.

These plants as they do grow in trees similar to orchids.

They really like that airy, well draining soil.

When it comes time to replanting your anthurium, they are very similar to orchids as they want to be kind of tight in their pots.

Anthuriums are definitely going to need the most water.

They come from rain forests and the humidity there tends to be a little bit higher.

So make sure you check what variety you're getting and what humidity they like to be at.

Hoyas are not going to need that same humidity, nor will bromeliads.

Most of the time they're not going to complain in the household setting.

You do, however, want to keep your plants in good, bright light.

Light is like carbohydrates for plants.

So if you're keeping them in low light, they might survive, but they may not thrive.

Fertilizing your anthuriums.

I like to use any balanced fertilizer.

I use one that is 7-7-7.

With staghorn ferns you can do the same thing just watering them with a balanced fertilizer.

And all of these plants are really going to love liquid seaweed.

Next, I'm going to talk about staghorn ferns.

These guys do really well in more humid environments.

So if you're going to keep one in your house, I do recommend a bathroom or maybe a kitchen.

These guys do tend to get a little dehydrated if they're not getting quite enough humidity and moisture in your house.

I would say you could mist these daily and wet the moss at least once a week.

Its really common to get fungal issues if you're misting normal houseplants indoors.

We just don't have as good of airflow inside of our houses most of the time.

As they get larger, a little more cold hardy, but still only down to about 30.

We keep ours in the bathroom all year round.

To mount these on wood, you just take them out of their pot, place them on wood or I've seen people put them on pieces of metal grating anything that's really going to support the plant as it grows and we just cover the roots in sphagnum moss drill screws in around the moss and use fishing line and tie the whole thing down.

The next plant that we're going to talk about today is Hoyas.

Hoyas have really blossomed in popularity the last couple of years.

There's a ton of different varieties and they make amazing flowers.

A lot of the Hoyas are really easy to care for.

You can really treat them like a succulent, letting them dry out between watering, making sure they're in a really good well-drained soil.

That means in a small pot you're watering maybe every 7 to 10 days.

If it's a larger pot, 8 to 10 inches may go a little bit longer, up to two weeks, even more in the wintertime.

They need bright light and especially if you want to get those beautiful flowers, keep them in a good south facing or west facing window and a lot of them will hang and trail.

So sometimes you can give them a trellis, you can let them hang in.

The flowers just drape really lovely.

Hoyas are one plant that can really benefit from bat guano and worm castings.

Not only the nutrients in these fertilizers will help to keep those blooms coming, but also the hormones.

The finlaysonii has these dark veins, also makes a really nice flower.

Some have more dainty foliage, more interesting textures that you can introduce if you're looking for an interesting hanging basket for a bright window.

One of the most common varieties is the Krimson Queen that has variegation in the leaves some pink and white.

This one has been very popular the last couple of years.

The Hoya compacta This one is a Hoya curtisii Another great option for a bright windowsill.

Next, we're going to talk about bromeliads.

So bromeliads come in amazing colors.

Some of them also have really bright flowers, so you can get foliage interest, you can get amazing blooms.

And these are considered tank bromeliads.

You actually want to water in the cup of the bromeliad.

In addition to watering the soil, this is going to help your flowers to last longer.

Watering in the sides of the bromeliad is kind of how it happens in nature.

It collects water in the cup, since it's in the trees.

If the water gets stagnant and old, which can happen, you can just dump it out and refill it every week or two.

For backyard Basics, I'm Melissa.