If you live in a small home, it can be challenging to find space for houseplants — but don’t let that deter you from bringing greenery inside! Take advantage of your vertical space by using indoor hanging plants to decorate your home.
Hanging houseplants cascade beautifully from stands, shelves, window ledges, ceiling hooks, wall hooks, ladder shelves, and macramé plant hangers. Keep reading for ideas of great plants to use in your indoor hanging planters, tips for how and where to hang houseplants, and the benefits of keeping hanging plants in your home.
10 Beautiful Indoor Hanging Plants
1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
The long, strappy leaves and dangling plantlets of a spider plant make it a great choice for a hanging planter. Plus, you can pot up the plantlets for an endless supply of new spider plants to fill your home and give to friends. These fun plants are also known to help purify the air.
2. String of Pearls (Senecio Rowleyanus)
String of pearls gets its name from the bead-shaped leaves strung along thin, trailing stems like pearl necklaces. This elegant succulent likes bright, indirect light, making it perfect for hanging in a window.
3. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)
Though commonly seen hanging on porches, the stunning, lush Boston fern also works well as an indoor plant. Just make sure to provide it with plenty of humidity, and it will beautify your home and improve indoor air quality.
4. English Ivy (Hedera Helix)
Another common outdoor plant, English ivy also makes for a striking hanging houseplant. It comes in glossy deep green as well as variegated varieties and typically maintains more volume than some other vines. Caution: English ivy is now known to be invasive in the United States, so never plant it outside, and carefully dispose of any trimmings.
5. String of Hearts (Ceropegia Woodii)
Similar to string of pearls, string of hearts is a lovely succulent with trailing stems covered in heart-shaped leaves. This striking plant is also deceptively easy to maintain.
6. Swiss Cheese Vine (Monstera Adansonii)
The swiss cheese vine, true to its name, has unique glossy, perforated leaves, much like the full-size swiss cheese plant (M. deliciosa). But because it’s smaller and has a trailing habit, it is ideal for growing in a hanging pot.
7. Air Plants (Tillandsia)
Air plants are perfect for displaying in small, decorative glass containers. These unique little plants don’t require soil and only need a light misting to keep them thriving.
8. Heart-leaf Philodendron (Philodendron Hederaceum)
An excellent beginner plant, heart-leaf philodendron has lovely heart-shaped leaves on long, trailing stems. It requires very little care, adding lush greenery to your home with little effort on your part.
9. Hoya (Hoya Carnosa)
Also called wax plants, hoyas have thick foliage on trailing vines and will even flower when properly cared for. They happily tolerate infrequent watering and low light conditions.
10. Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)
Among the easiest houseplants to grow, golden pothos thrives in low light and tolerates a bit of neglect. This popular plant has beautiful variegated, heart-shaped leaves on long vines, making it perfect for hanging.
Benefits of Hanging Houseplants
Hanging plants in your home can provide many wonderful benefits. Here are just a few.
Save space
When you hang houseplants, you increase the number of places you can put plants in your home. There’s only so much space in front of a window to place plants on the floor or a shelf. But you can add more plants by hanging them from curtain rods or hooks in the ceiling.
Add texture and color to your home
All houseplants add texture and color to indoor spaces, but hanging plants add another dimension by making the most of vertical space. Indoor hanging plants fill empty corners and other underutilized places, balancing out other home décor and pulling the room together.
Help provide plants with proper light conditions
It can be difficult to provide plants with the right amount of light. But by hanging sunlight-loving plants in front of a bright window, you can keep them growing healthily without worrying about shelf space or the width of the windowsill.
Keep out of reach of kids or pets
Some plants are toxic to pets or people, and a shelf might not be sufficient for keeping them out of reach of curious animals or children. Hanging such plants keeps even the most adventurous cats and kids from being able to access them and munch on the leaves. This way, you can keep your beloved plant and rest assured that your family is safe.
How To Decorate With Indoor Hanging Plants
Hanging houseplants can be displayed in myriad ways in your home. When deciding how and where to hang your plants, keep in mind the shape and size of each plant and its preferred conditions.
Use macrame hangers to hang plants from the ceiling
Many small houseplants can be hung from the ceiling. Macrame plant hangers add another layer of decoration to hanging plants and serve the practical purpose of securely holding your potted plant.
Use ceiling hooks to hang macramé plant hangers from the ceiling or S hooks to attach them to a sturdy curtain rod in front of a window. Macramé plant holders can also hang on a wall, using a hook securely fastened into a stud.
Place hanging plants on shelves
If dangling plants from the ceiling makes you nervous, you can alternatively place a cascading plant on top of a bookshelf or on open shelving. This allows you to still enjoy the trailing foliage, but on a stable surface. It also eliminates the need for putting holes in the wall or ceiling of a rental.
Use wall planters for unique wall decor
Liven up empty wall space with wall planters, which come in many different styles and sizes, including the macramé plant holders mentioned above.
Group several wall planters together for a verdant display, or add a single hanging plant to an existing gallery of art or photos. Rooting cuttings in glass containers are also fun additions to a wall.
How to Care For Your Hanging Houseplants
As you begin to collect more houseplants now that you’ve realized the potential of vertical space, don’t forget to attend to the individual growing requirements of each plant.
Learn each plant’s specific light and watering requirements
While plants that tolerate low light will thrive away from windows, keep in mind that no plants will survive total darkness. Those that require bright, indirect light will do best hanging near or directly in front of a window. Some plants need more direct sunlight and should be placed in a west- or south-facing window with a clear view of the sky.
Water needs also vary, but most houseplants are more susceptible to overwatering than underwatering. Take note of the requirements for each plant, and download an app if that is helpful to you for keeping track of them all. When in doubt, poke a finger about an inch or so into the soil. If it feels dry, give the plant a drink.
Choose the right planter
Hanging planters are available in a range of colors, shapes, and sizes. While looking for a planter that fits your décor style, make sure it has drainage holes and is an appropriate size for the plant you want to put in it.
Look for a container slightly bigger than the root ball of your plant. About one to two inches wider should be sufficient.
Use an indoor watering can and watering tray to prevent dripping water
Watering hanging plants can be tricky, but a few tips and tricks help make the process simple. Pots with drainage holes will help prevent roots from sitting in water and rotting, of course, but this can also lead to excess water dripping on your floor (or head!).
To prevent this, place appropriately-sized watering trays or saucers under each hanging planter or purchase containers with built-in saucers. Then use an indoor watering can with a long, thin spout to direct water into each planter without splashing it everywhere.
Another option is to carry each plant to the sink and let it completely drain before hanging it back up, but this quickly becomes tedious and time-consuming as your plant collection grows.
Fertilizing indoor plants
Regular repotting (typically every one or two years) often provides houseplants with sufficient nutrients, but sometimes fertilizer can give an extra boost to keep plants lush and healthy.
Depending on the individual plant’s needs, you may want to use a water-soluble fertilizer every few weeks in the warmer months and less frequently or not at all during the fall and winter. Always follow the package directions.
Whether you are a beginner or expert plant parent, hanging houseplants are a wonderful addition to any plant lover’s home. Hanging up plants adds beauty while saving space and keeping them safely out of reach of kids and pets. The many planters, hanging methods, and plants available provide a spectacular variety of texture and color.
I hope this list of indoor hanging plants, along with the tips for displaying and caring for them, will help you make the most of the space in your home while cultivating a love for things that grow.
