Add dimension and texture to your rooms with one or more of these fabulous indoor hanging plants.
Debbie Wolfe is an author and freelance writer who specializes in home and garden, food and cooking, parenting, and travel topics. She is also an accomplished photographer and is currently the senior visual editor for Dotdash Meredith. Wood Stove Accessories
Houseplants can help improve the quality of your living space. But they can also take up floor and shelf space, which may be an issue if your collection is extensive. One way to get more plants—whether real or fake plants—into an area without taking up surface space is to hang them. They are relatively simple to maintain—just get a hose nozzle, like The Relaxed Gardener Watering Wand, designed to easily reach them.
Popular indoor hanging plants include well-known trailing varieties such as spider plants and pothos. Pothos can sometimes grow to the point of needing structural support from a plant trellis. However, dozens of plant varieties make lovely hanging plants that aren't necessarily known for their trailing growth habit. Whether you're looking for an indoor flowering plant to add a pop color or a plant that can survive low light, Justin Hancock, head of brand marketing at Costa Farms, shares his top picks for the best houseplants to hang in every room of your house—including that tricky corner no other plant seems to tolerate.
Alsobia dianthiflora features furry green leaves with a purple midrib. "There aren't many hanging houseplants that flower well, but Alsobia does," says Hancock. In fact, in ideal conditions, Alsobia will reward you with white gloxinia-like flowers with fringed edges that make them look like snowflakes popping out of the lush green leaves.
"The fringed flowers are really distinctive and make for an unexpected surprise when they appear," says Hancock.
This hanging flower plant can survive in low light but grows and flowers best in medium to bright light. Got a spot next to a sunny window? That would be perfect.
Philodendrons are considered practically indestructible by many plant parents. These easy-going plants can be grown hanging in a basket or climbing up a moss pole or trellis.
Brasil Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil') is a showstopper with its heart-shaped, dark-green leaves variegated with chartreuse and gold in the center. "It tolerates low light but looks and grows best in a spot with medium to bright, indirect light," says Hancock.
Philodendrons aren't well-suited to extreme temperatures. So, while any room will do, try not to hang them near heating/cooling vents or windows that get too hot and sunny (or too cool and drafty).
Cebu Blue (Epipremnum pinnatum Cebu Blue) is a fun new version of traditional golden pothos. It features leaves that are longer and more narrow than the golden pothos' heart shape.
"This variety sports green foliage that has a distinct silvery-blue cast, which is visibly different in different light conditions," says Hancock. The plant grows fast in bright, indirect light, making it ideal for taking cuttings and sharing with friends and family.
Cebu Blue is just as easy to grow as any other pothos and will practically work in almost any room.
Hoyas are considered trendy plants due to the wealth of varieties available, hanging habits, drought tolerance, and beautiful flowers (that are often fragrant). "Among the hottest is Hoya compacta, which features leaves that curl and crinkle around the plant's stems," says Hancock. Hoya compacta is a slow grower that tolerates low light.
Hoyas grow and bloom best in a bright spot. That said, they are durable houseplants that can survive some neglect, making them perfect for a tricky area in your home that no other plant seems to tolerate.
Little Swiss Monstera is a smaller version of the ever-popular Monstera deliciosa with a trailing growth habit that looks graceful hanging from a basket. Botanically known as Monstera adansonii, it's also dubbed the "Swiss Cheese" plant due to its irregular holes on the leaves.
They can be quick growers when given the proper light and propagate easily. "There's something adorable about the way the leaves have all these little windows in them," says Hancock, "The effect is especially delightful when they overlap as they trail from a basket."
This tropical plant is happiest in high humidity. That's why a lot of people opt to place it in a warm, sunny bathroom.
"While Golden Pothos is a tried-and-true favorite hanging plant, Manjula is a fun newer selection that shows off leaves wildly variegated in shades of cream and white," says Hancock. Like its cousins, Manjula is easy to care for and boasts bigger leaves with a somewhat slower growth rate. Best of all, it tolerates low light but looks and grows best in a spot with medium to bright, indirect light.
This easy-care plant can do well in any room, but place in a bathroom or other high-humidity area if you want it to grow faster.
A hanging ivy plant is a houseplant classic. "English ivy is still elegant and a relatively easy-care choice for gracing our living rooms and bedrooms," says Hancock, "Mini Adam (Hedera helix 'Mini Adam') is a particularly fun variety that shows off relatively small leaves boldly edged in cream and white."
The Mini Adam is exceptionally well-suited for cool, bright rooms.
Nanouk (Tradescantia fluminensis 'Nanouk') is a stunning newer selection of the old-school inch plant. This beauty boasts larger-than-average green leaves festively streaked in cream and pink.
"While it's often used as a tabletop plant when young, once the stems grow and start to trail, it's a lovely pick to hang," says Hancock. Hanging this beauty gives you a better view of the hot pink coloring on the undersides of the leaves.
This plant thrives in bright, indirect light. A room where the windows face north or east would be best.
Many plant lovers probably remember these plants from their grandparent's homes. Prayer plants (Maranta leuconeura) are known for their playfully patterned leaves.
"Earning its moniker from the fact the leaves fold at night like a set of praying hands, it tolerates low light and adds a little excitement and contrast to any houseplant collection," says Hancock.
Although most people do not think of them as low-light hanging plants, Marantas will eventually trail beautifully once they grow out.
If you have a dark corner in your home that needs a little lift, a prayer plant is a great choice.
The Silver Monstera (Monstera siltepecana) is currently one of the most trendy houseplants on the market. "[It's] trendy both because it's a Monstera and for having silver-frosted foliage," says Hancock. "This is a newer addition to our Exotic Angel Plants collection that plant parents can't get enough of."
Similar to Little Swiss Monstera, it's a compact plant that looks wonderful when hanging. Like other Monstera varieties, it does best in bright light.
This plant will thrive in a high-humidity area like a bathroom, laundry room, or bedroom that's outfitted with a humidifier.
Botanically known as Scindapsus treubii 'Moonlight', this versatile plant looks lovely in a hanging basket or trained on a moss pole or trellis. "Fabulously tolerant to a range of indoor conditions, this uncommon aroid features heart-shaped leaves that bear a delightful silver overlay," says Hancock.
Sterling Silver is a relatively slow grower, so you won't have to worry about it growing out of bounds. "It tolerates low light but grows best in a spot with medium to bright, indirect light," explains Hancock, "Keep it away from drafts for best performance."
A great spot for this plant would be next to a window covered by a sheer curtain since too much direct sun can dry out the foliage.
The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is loved for its durability and resilience. The plants feature grassy leaves that are available in solid green or variegated with cream or white. "You're also sure to love the little plantlets it produces at the ends of its hanging stolons," says Hancock.
Spider plants propagate easily via the little plantlets, and they are fun plants to share with other plant lovers. "It tolerates low light (and drought and low humidity) like a champ," explained Hancock, "But grows faster in medium to bright conditions."
For the well-being of your plant, a bright window would be ideal. In feng shui, spider plants are known for good fortune and prosperity. So maybe your home office would be the perfect place for it!
Strawberry Begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) gets its name due to its similar growth habit to strawberries. "As it grows, it produces offshoots that grow on raspberry-red stolons that hang down from the plant like a living mobile," explains Hancock.
Propagating this plant is simple and easy—clip off these offshoots, pot them up, and grow them out as new plants. Strawberry Begonia prefers medium to bright light.
Since the strawberry begonia loves sunlight and cooler temperatures, place it near a window that faces east or west, or on a bright porch.
The Chenille plant will delight you with its fuzzy, red, caterpillar-like tendrils called catkins that bloom year-round. It grows best in bright, indirect sunlight and with plenty of water. It's a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, which means it's related to the poinsettia.
This tropical plant loves warm and humid conditions. So this is another one that would be great in the bathroom or a room with a humidifier!
Maidenhair ferns have soft, lacy, fine foliage that can tumble elegantly out of hanging baskets. They can be persnickety to care for, though. Because they dry out easily, they need moist, humid conditions and to be away from drafts.
What's the most humid room in your house? Put your maidenhair fern there, in a brightly lit spot near a window.
Its glossy heart-shaped leaves have made this tropical beauty (also known as a baby rubber plant) a popular choice in houseplants. Its trailing stems are perfect for a hanging basket, and it doesn't need much water to thrive.
This plant grows best in bright, indirect sunlight and moderate temperatures. Any room that meets these conditions will do!
This lightweight plant's foliage is large, luxurious, and deep green. It works well in a hanging pot or basket, and it doesn't need much light or water.
That said, it's a little snobby about its taste in water: Fluoridated tap water can cause the edges of its leaves to turn brown, so for best results water it with bottled water.
This versatile plant doesn't need any special conditions and would bring beauty and calm to any room.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Trailing African violets produce gorgeous, cascading blooms nearly year-round. They thrive in average household temperatures but need a lot of sunlight.
In hanging baskets, this plant's blossoming, branching trailings hang down over the sides. But it can be hard to find baskets that fit the shallow, wide containers they prefer. One solution is to buy a macrame or beaded holder and fit the container inside it.
Trailing African violets will be happiest (and most likely to bloom) in a window where they get at least eight hours of sunlight per day. How about a sunny kitchen or porch?
Jade plants are a great option for a hanging houseplant. Their lustrous, oval-shaped leaves grow from thick stems that make them look like cute, little trees. They're also popular because they don't need much water and do fine in average household temperatures.
Jade plants will grow in any room as long as they get four to six hours of indirect sunlight per day.
This beloved houseplant (aka the Chinese monkey plant) has shiny round leaves that can tumble over the sides of a hanging pot. It likes bright, indirect sunlight, but otherwise, it doesn't need much attention. Don't over-water it, though! If dry air is beginning to turn the edges of the leaves brown, just mist them with water once a day.
When it comes to light, this plant is Goldilocks: not too much, not too little. So place it in a room with plenty of indirect sunlight. It will grow well in any room with average temperature and humidity levels. This quirky (and non-toxic) plant would be a great addition to a child's bedroom.
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