It was really tricky at first with Hoya shooting star, never knew how to grow it, I kept reading threads in other forums about it, and there was one person who said what worked was standing water. So I figured, might as well try. True enough it finally worked! DogND, my area is really an extreme one too, being more inland, so we get triple digit hot often in summer, long span of no rain 5 to 6 months, tule fog during late Fall to winter at times, and we go down to the low 20's in January, the ironic part rainy conditions here is in winter, so it is such a struggle with the plants.
I have been growing some orchids too, and it really made sense Hoya shooting star wanting more water like that, there is an orchid alliance, the Oncidium alliance which are similar water hogs, can't ever drown it, especially in summer, I can leave them in standing water in summer only for about a couple of days. Similar trait almost with that Hoya, although Hoya shooting star is always on standing water.
Hoyas being in the milkweed family too, so it does behave like my tropical milkweed here, water hungry! Funny to see the traits showing across the plants.
