Indoor Hanging Plants: 15 Trailing and Climbing Plants That Thrive

Hanging plants solve two problems at once: they use vertical space that is otherwise wasted, and they put trailing foliage at eye level where it looks best. The trade-off is a harsher microclimate, and it is easy to overlook. Warm air rises, so the air near a ceiling runs several degrees warmer and noticeably drier than at table height — and a small pot in that air dries out surprisingly fast. If your hanging plants keep crisping while the ones on the table are fine, that is why.

#15 plants for hanging baskets and high shelves

#Matching plant to position

• High and bright, near a window — string of hearts, string of pearls, burro's tail, hoya. Semi-succulent trailers handle the heat and dryness of that position.
• High and shaded, away from windows — money plant, heartleaf philodendron, scindapsus. These are the only ones that trail well in genuinely low light.
• Bathroom — Boston fern, rhipsalis, English ivy. Humidity suits them and most bathrooms have soft, indirect light.
• Above a radiator or heater — avoid entirely, or use burro's tail and rhipsalis, which cope best with hot, dry rising air.
• Kitchen — spider plant and tradescantia tolerate temperature swings and occasional grease better than most.

#Watering a hanging plant without soaking the floor

1. Take it down to water

   The most reliable method: unhook, water thoroughly at the sink, let it drain fully for ten minutes, then rehang. Choose lightweight pots so this stays practical.

2. Use a built-in reservoir

   Hanging pots with an integrated saucer catch runoff. Check they are not permanently full — a hidden reservoir causes root rot in exactly the same way a cachepot does.

3. Water little and often instead

   For pots that cannot come down, water in small amounts across the surface until the soil is evenly moist, rather than one large pour that runs straight through.

4. Use a long-spout watering can

   A narrow spout gives you the reach and control to water above head height without flooding the surface.

5. Check more often than you think

   A hanging pot in warm ceiling air can dry twice as fast as the same pot at floor level. Check every three to four days in summer.

#Keeping trailers full rather than straggly

Trailing plants naturally go bare at the top as the growing tips extend downward, leaving long stems with leaves only at the ends. Two fixes, used together. First, more light — legginess is usually the plant reaching. Second, prune: cut each long stem back to within 15–20 cm of the pot, just above a node. The plant branches at the cut, and the pieces you removed root in water within a fortnight and can be planted straight back into the same pot to thicken it.

#Hanging plants and pets

Hanging is the standard advice for keeping toxic plants away from cats and dogs, and it works for dogs. Cats are a different matter: a trailing vine within jumping distance of a shelf or worktop is an invitation, and pothos, philodendron and tradescantia are all irritants. Hang toxic species well clear of any launch point, or choose from the non-toxic options here — spider plant, hoya, peperomia, Boston fern and rhipsalis are all safe. Our pet safe plant list has the full set.