For those of us who love greenery, sharing our home with a few trailing indoor plants can be very satisfying! Aside from being decorative, trailing houseplants can help purify the air. They can also screen off an area, be therapeutic or provide a pleasant scent.
If you fancy bringing a few hanging houseplants or trailing blooms into your home, here are 18 of the best trailing houseplants that we really think you’ll love.
Satin Pothos (Scindapsus Pictus)
Also known as Exotica, this plant can be the star of the show – as well as a great supporting act if you have plenty of plants already dotted around. Suitable for ultra modern homes or offices, it can look equally stunning in more classical or traditional settings, too.
This trailing plant is one we often see but don’t know by name. Exotica is adaptable and easy to keep! A slow grower, it can be trained to follow a direction – it has vine-like leaves with silver markings, and is an undemanding plant requiring good light and drainage. To take good care of your Satin Pothos, water regularly but don’t flood the pot!
Ivy
Ivy is a well-known and highly prolific grower, historically considered an outdoor plant. Nowadays it’s increasingly popular as an indoor trailing plant, too. Initially introduced to balconies and entrances in hanging baskets or window boxes for windowsills, this plant is amazingly versatile.
Ivy makes for a great trailing feature plant. It can also be trained to tumble uniformly in order to form a screen. Happy in moist containers with a good source of light, this is an otherwise undemanding plant – it tolerates humidity, so it’s also good in bathrooms and kitchens.
Ivy can cause irritation, however, so it’s best kept away from young children and pets. This is easiest when suspended high, beyond reach. It’s hardly one of your small trailing indoor plants!
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
Good old spiders are popular hanging plants that are easy to care for and make for some of the most attractive trailing plants. They also do a great job of cleansing the air making them an ideal plant for asthma and allergy suffers. This superstar of indoor plants can be placed in a variety of containers but is shown to its best advantage when suspended.
Having long, slender, mostly green leaves, they’re often variegated with yellow, cream or white stripes. They enjoy being somewhat pot-bound, but when too stressed, are easily transferred to a bigger pot or two – you’d then simply add more compost.
Spider plants have thick white roots which can be strong and deform thin plastic pots. They need good drainage because otherwise they may suffer from root rot.
Propagation, however, is a cinch! Spiderlets tumble from the mother plant on long stalks. Leave these attached for an interesting ‘chandelier’ effect or, nip them off and place in water to root – then pot them up!
Fishbone Cactus
Native to forests, fishbone cacti are plants that drape down, and produce pretty yellow flowers and a lovely scent. Requiring a good source of light, go sparing with these hardy greens – as it will suffer in direct strong sunlight. In smaller spaces, such as a well lit hall or bathroom, their scent will be more detectable.
Fishbone cacti benefit from misting, too. In winter they require minimal water but should not be allowed to completely dry out. Why not add a wavy touch or two to your home? This is one of our collective favourite trailing bathroom plants.
Orchid Cactus
Sticking with hardy and reliable cacti, this trailing plant is extremely easy to look after – so, great for busy people! It won’t quit until seriously starved of water for a long time. It’s especially beautiful in bloom when displaying striking, bright red flowers. It has fleshy leaves with similar irregular shapes as those of oak trees.
For the best of both worlds between orchids and cacti, this really might be your ideal choice when it comes to cascading indoor plants.
Prayer Plant (Maranta Leuconeura)
Some indoor gardeners may feel these have been heaven-sent! Prayer plants have leaves which move, thought to mimic praying – hence the name. There is something appealing about these plants and the way they move – it’s almost hypnotic.
Unlike some of the cacti above, they do require keen attention. Water regulation is a must – as too little or too much water has a rapid effect. You’ll often see them referred to as red herringbone plants, also known as Maranta Leuconeura, their Latin name.
Mistletoe Cactus (Rhipsalis Baccifera)
What is it with cacti? Believe it or not, many different cacti species work wonderfully as trailing plants – and the Mistletoe variety is no different. The Rhipsalis is a tropical plant, meaning it does pretty well in hot and heavy scenarios.
Also known as Coral Cactus, this plant flowers in spring, before bearing fruit shortly afterwards. In hot weather, it needs misting and watering regularly. In winter, this plant needs limited water and a period to rest.
Staghorn Fern (Platycerium Bifurcatum)
Staghorn ferns are pretty challenging plants, but are amazingly striking to look at. Of all the hanging plants on this list, these are likely to cause you the most work!
They need regular misting, normally around three to four times per week. Carefully checking their base is crucial to ensure they are comfortable and to help them guard against extreme temperature. Use only tepid water for their root intake – trust us on this!
These interesting plants need to nestle on relatively small amounts of compost. In the wild, they attach themselves to stones or even fallen branches. You will never be bored with a Staghorn companion!
Burro’s Tail (Sedum Morganianum)
Formally known as Sedum Morganianum, this plant is an interesting and pretty shapely succulent. It has great visual appeal thanks to its tiers of fleshy, green leaves, clustered on tumbling stalks.
It may look robust but is actually sensitive to water deprivation or excess. It’s also easily damaged if moved around. Architecturally interesting, they can spread over the edges of a basket to create swathes of attractive greenery. Turn them towards the light occasionally, too – they love it!
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)
Ever popular, vivid green Boston ferns, also known as Sword ferns, grace many homes from indoor hanging baskets or shelves. There’s a good chance you’ve seen one or two already without realising it!
They can be moved from room to room provided they have a good light source with no extremes of heat. They’re a classic amongst display plants. Reliable and easy to care for, simply check their roots periodically to ensure they have enough space.
Chenille (Acalypha Hispida)
A show stopper, the Chenille plant produces tiers of grouped flowers in bright red which look like red velvet. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘red hot cattails’, too! Oddly, they don’t produce flowers with petals.
Pruning promotes new growth for this plant, so make sure to do so regularly. One of the most visually interesting picks on our list, this trailing plant requires careful watering and even temperatures. It will benefit from having daily, all-round light, such as in a conservatory, or being turned gently.
Tillandsia (Air Plants)
These fascinating plants are very easy to care for. Tillandsia are usually light grey or pale green and look almost artificial. They normally have a symmetrical, flower-like form – and, absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, they require very little care.
In suspended containers, they are best displayed in glass or clear plastic. These hardy, low maintenance trailing plants are ones you’re likely going to want to show off in a variety of ways. For example, you might want to invest in clear Christmas baubles and hang them in a row – there are plenty of creative ideas to come across on social media such as Instagram and Pinterest.
Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium Nidus)
These unusual plants are known as ‘Epiphytes’. Natives of tropical rainforests, they thrive in a humid, warm atmosphere. Therefore, they are likely to make great plants in damper spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms – but, as with many hanging and trailing houseplants, you’re going to need to be careful with the sun – and in fact, this fern’s growth is dependent on available light.
Too bright, and their leaves will become yellow – not enough light, and the leaves will become flat. Therefore, it’s always worth undertaking some trial and error until you’re sure these plants are in the ideal spot.
String of Pearls (Senecio Rowleyanus)
Known as the Senecio Rowleyanus, this popular trailing plant is ideal for baskets or as a linear display – they can form a living green drape! What appear to be tiny green pearls grow the length of the plant in a straight row – and, tumbling decoratively like a waterfall, they grow to make a dramatic statement!
Easy to care for, they only require watering when the top inch of compost is dry. These plants are some of the most popular succulents for indoor growing.
Chain Cactus (Rhipsalis Paradoxa)
The Rhipsalis Paradoxa is another great trailing plant that offers a chain or string of greenery to a fairly eye-catching effect. However, despite having cactus in the name, don’t be fooled – this plant requires careful and patient nurturing.
You’ll be rewarded with an attractive trailing plant displaying tiny white flowers – it’s a good plant to display from a high shelf, cupboard or hanging basket. When not in flower, it’s structurally simple and stringy.
Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
The Tradescantia is a recognisable plant, though it actually has three different varieties. It can thrive in a variety of environments, providing it’s housed in well-drained containers. If it should happen to get neglected, it will usually come bouncing back after a trim and drink!
The three easily identified types are Zebrina (which has dark leaves with white stripes), Pallida (a show-off with displays of beautiful pink flowers set against purple leaves) and Humensis (various shades of green, sometimes bearing tiny white flowers).
Tradescantias are trailing house plants that like light – but not harsh sunlight. They enjoy a regular, minimal watering pattern but not being drenched. You can propagate them by nipping off a stem or two, then removing lower leaves and place in water until roots appear within five weeks.
Hoya Linearis
This easy-care and robust cascading plant has a simple, elegant shape. This is the type of trailing plant you should consider potting indoors if you want to delicately add touches of green to the various rooms of your home.
Requiring regular, light watering, it has a number of small thin leaves along thin stems. If you grow herbs, you might think it resembles a Rosemary plant which has been on a diet and hung upside down!
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum)
While Nasturtiums are widely regarded as outdoor or garden plants, it’s entirely possible to give them a great life indoors, too. They grow fast from seed in garden soil or compost. They’re attractive to look at – and oddly enough, you can eat them!
These trailing indoor plants produce ‘blousy’ flowers in shades of red, orange, yellow and cream. They’re good for hanging baskets in kitchens, conservatories or even dining rooms. They need plenty of light and to be kept moist but not soggy!
Their leaves are rounded and smooth on tender stalks. But, back to the fact you can actually eat these plants – their flowers and leaves are a great garnish for dishes or decoration for plates – we’re serious! They’re tasty in salads, accompanying meats and cheeses.
Conclusion
Setting up hanging plants inside the house needn’t be difficult. In fact, the hardest part is often finding the best hanging houseplants for your tastes! Hopefully, the 18 we’ve picked for you here should help get you off to a great start.
