Trailing houseplants offer a laid-back style and intriguing elegance that can’t be matched by other indoor plants. They lend themselves perfectly to a hanging basket, spilling over the edge where you can enjoy them from above and below. Here’s a list to get your thoughts flowing:
String of Hearts
These trailing indoor plants from South Africa feature small, heart-shaped leaves with white patterns and pink blossoms. In the wild, they can trail up to 12 feet in length, meaning they’re a natural fit for any hanging basket. String of hearts behave like succulents, storing moisture in their fleshy leaves and preferring to have the soil dry out in between waterings.
Golden Pothos
Golden Pothos grow on forest floors and vine around tree trunks in the wilds of the South Pacific. They’re known as easy indoor plants to take care of, preferring bright, indirect light but tolerating low light conditions as well. The glossy green and light yellow leaves capture the sun’s rays and give it the golden hue that it’s known for.
English Ivy
These trailing indoor ivy plants have been steeped in myth and folklore since Greek and Roman times. They’re celebrated for their tendency to climb walls and cloak everything within reach in a carpet of green. As houseplants, they bring the spirit of a lush forest into your home and gladly trail over the side of any hanging basket.
Their overflowing leaves remind us of the abundance of nature and their ability to climb surfaces makes them seem more alive than other plants.
Hoya
Hoyas are another family of trailing succulents that make great indoor plants. You’ll find them with broad, narrow, round, or heart-shaped leaves. Uniting all the varieties are the common traits of verdant green color, thick leaves, and an undeniable sense of style. Plus, they bloom with small, porcelain-like flowers if you give them the right conditions.
Spider Plant
Unlike the other indoor plants on this list, the spider plant is not a vining species. Instead, it grows grass-like ribbons of leaves that spill over the edge of a hanging basket. It also sends out long stems with small white flowers and new spider plants at the tips. You can cut these babies off and plant them in a pot of fresh soil of their own, where they would grow roots. Or you can let them hang in the breeze and enjoy them as they are. Another catch of the spider plant is that they’re one of the easiest indoor plants to grow, and they’re pet friendly too!
Heartleaf Philodendron
The heartleaf philodendron offers everything that you could ask for from an indoor trailing plant. They grow heart-shaped leaves with classic green color. The leaves fall in interesting shapes from a hanging basket, or you can train them to grow up around hooks or on a trellis. They’re not fussy when it comes to care—preferring water every 1-2 weeks once the soil is dry and medium-to-low light areas to grow.
Trailing indoor plants bring something unique into our homes. Their overflowing leaves remind us of the abundance of nature and their ability to climb surfaces makes them seem more alive than other plants. Plus, they’re ideal for hanging baskets, which we can use to increase our growing space!
To see our selection, drop by our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!
Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.
Additional Information:
Watering Hanging Baskets
