.

Caring for "Strings of Hearts" Plants

One of the most popular categories of indoor plants right now is a broad grouping we call "Strings of Things." Because these plants are grouped by their common characteristics (in this case, their chain-like stems with whimsically shaped and colored leaves), their care can be confusing. In actual fact, "Strings-of" plants represent a wide variety of often completely unrelated species, so it's not easy to provide a "one-size-fits-all" care plan, but they do have some things in common, fortunately! For instance most are succulents, which means they have a similar preference for moisture and humidity. For the most part, they can also thrive with similar light requirements, leaving only some minor differences in feeding and potting to learn as you add new varieties to your jungle!

Selling fast

Variegated String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)

$12.00

The String of Hearts is one extremely popular example of this category of plants. This colorful small vine's scientific name is Ceropegia woodii variegata, with the genus Ceropegia including String of Arrows (C. woodii 'String of Arrows') and String of Needles (C. linearis.) The various species and varieties all have unique flowers, shaped like miniature lanterns, with openings that allow small flies (which are their natural pollinators) to enter, but excludes other insects that might feed on the flower parts. All these plants belong to the family Apocyanaceae, which includes familar plants from around the world such as Milkweed, Hoyas, and Oleander.) In the wild, C. woodii grows in South Africa, Eswatini, and neighboring Zimbabwe, along the southern horn of the African continent. It grows at medium altitudes on mountain slopes, where it's usually found growing among rocks, with its vines spilling over the rock face.

As a result of its natural habitat, String of Hearts and its close relatives like loose, well-drained soil, so that regular waterings can drain away without leaving the roots wet. They also enjoy bright, filtered sunlight (think: more than a Philodendron, but less than a cactus!)

We find that they do well in windows that get morning sun, but not intense light all day. Under these conditions, they flower freely and grow long and lush vines. While their natural mountain habitat makes them fairly tolerant of brief cold spells, these plants prefer to be warm-but-not-hot, and will grow best at normal household temperatures. One thing we've found they don't enjoy is high humidity, so better to place them in an area where they get good air circulation, not crowded with other plants. Finally, in terms of fertilizer, we recommend a well-balanced cactus and succulent food, ideally a water-soluble one used at weak dilution with every watering.

Follow these simple rules, and your String-of-Hearts will grow full and produce many vines of beautiful leaves! While the flowers are tiny and only really visible upon close inspection, they are a marvelous curiosity, and healthy plants will produce them freely during the warm months of the year, when daylight is plentiful.

SPECIES	String of Hearts Vine (Ceropegia woodii)
LIGHT	Bright, filtered sun
TEMPERATURE	Household temperatures (60-80 F.)
HUMIDITY	Low (Typical household humidity is usually fine)
WATER	Water when soil surface is dry
SOIL	Loose, well-draining medium like Specialty Tropicals Succulent Mix
FERTILIZER	Balanced Cactus/Succulent Food, dilute, with each watering