Introducing the best hanging basket houseplants to your home is a gorgeous way to utilize vertical space. And it's particularly useful for compact interiors, as it frees up shelves, tables and floor space.
With help from our green-fingered experts, we've rounded up 10 botanical beauties that shine up high. Plus, there are lots of helpful tips for looking after them to keep your display looking healthy and happy.
From trailing vines to colorful varieties, one of these brilliant indoor plants is bound to fit your scheme perfectly.
10 best hanging basket houseplants, plus how to care for them
As long as you get to grips with the essentials on how to look after houseplants, these picks will bring your space to life with their luscious leaves.
1. Adanson's monstera
Autumn Janus, a plant expert from Perfect Plants Nursery, suggests Monstera adansonii, commonly known as Adanson's monstera, for indoor hanging baskets.
Like the classic Monstera deliciosa, one of the best tall houseplants, Monstera adansonii has distinctive holes in its foliage. However, these leaves are more compact and the plant has more of a trailing habit, making it perfect for displaying high up.
According to Autumn, it thrives in bright, indirect light and should be watered when the top inch of soil is dry. "Regular pruning helps control growth and promote fuller foliage, while removing damaged leaves enhances the plant's appearance," she says.
Monstera adansonii plants are available to buy from Perfect Plants Nursery.
Autumn is a horticulture specialist and marketing professional at Perfect Plants Nursery. With four years of experience in the horticulture industry, she has developed a passion for helping people create beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces to enjoy. Her expertise in horticulture encompasses a broad range of activities, including plant care and selection, landscape design, and maintenance.
2. Pothos
Pothos are easy houseplants that grow quickly, sporting long vines with heart-shaped leaves.
Gail Pabst from the National Garden Bureau recommends the "Lemon Meringue" variety, which features bright, golden-yellow leaf edges surrounding a medium-green center. "Give it bright light for best variegation," she says. "In low-light conditions, the variegation will fade."
Alternatively, Autumn suggests the "Variegated Marble Queen" pothos, available from Perfect Plants Nursery.
These plants are also easy to propagate from stem cuttings, if you're interested in expanding your houseplant collection for free.
Gail Pabst is the marketing director for the National Garden Bureau. This non-profit organization helps promote, educate, and inspire gardeners. Gail has a Horticulture degree from the University of Illinois and has worked in the industry for over two decades.
3. Philodendron
Philodendrons, available from Lively Root, are other beautiful trailing houseplants recommended by the pros. They are similar to pothos in looks, but often have slightly larger leaves. And there are some gorgeous varieties available.
Autumn, for instance, suggests the "Pink Princess" philodendron. The vibrant, variegated foliage adds a splash of color and can be beautifully displayed in hanging planters, she says.
Holly Mixon, the owner of houseplant store Itty Bitty Trees, says, "If you prefer something a little darker, philodendron 'Micans' has a velvety soft, dark green leaf."
Alternatively, she recommends "Neon" which has lime green leaves. They thrive in medium, indirect light and prefer to be watered when the top inch of soil is dry, she adds.
Paris Lalicata from The Sill suggests using translucent picture clips to attach the philodendron's long stems to a surrounding wall for instant jungle vibes. We think these stick-on Command hooks (available from Amazon) are perfect for the job.
Holly Mixon is the owner of Itty Bitty Trees, a houseplant store in Paris, Tennessee. Holly's passion for horticulture extends from tropical landscapes to bonsai and interiorscape. Through her store, she cultivates a vibrant community of plant enthusiasts, offering expert guidance and curated selections of greenery.
Paris has been with The Sill for almost five years and heads up Plant Education and Community. A self-taught plant expert with over 10 years of experience growing houseplants, she currently maintains an indoor garden of more than 200 plants in the northeast. Her passion is making plant care more digestible for budding plant parents and sharing the many benefits of having plants indoors.
4. Tradescantia
Holly says this houseplant is a great choice for new plant parents, as it is very forgiving. It features stunning, striped leaf color combinations, including purple, green, and silver. "They look almost metallic in sunlight."
These plants prefer bright, indirect light and moist soil, Holly continues. "In ideal conditions, they'll produce tiny purple flowers."
Gail particularly recommends the "Pistachio White" variety, which boasts stunning white variegation on green leaves. Come summertime, you can bring these plants outside for a change of scenery, she adds. They're a great way to brighten up patio decor ideas.
"To maintain a full, bushy appearance, don't be afraid to give it a trim every now and then," Gail notes. "Simply snip back the stems to a joint and watch your plant flourish."
If you're tempted to buy your own tradescantia, the colorful "Quadricolor" variety is available from The Sill.
5. Spider plant
Caring for spider plants is straightforward, and their arching, slender leaves make them one of best hanging basket houseplants, especially if you opt for the variegated types.
Spider plants, available from Lively Root, can produce white flowers and baby "spiderettes" on the end of long stems, which adds to their appeal. Propagating spider plants is easy, as you can plant these miniatures into fresh potting soil where they will develop root systems of their own.
A houseplant fertilizer, such as Perfect Plant Nursery's houseplant food, can help them thrive during the growing season, when they tend to grow fast.
6. Hoya "Tricolor"
Paris says the hoya "Tricolor" (available from The Sill) is great for a hanging basket. "It is an easy-going trailing plant with beautiful thick, waxy leaves adorned with green, white, and pink variegation that will brighten up any room."
Somewhere with medium-bright indirect light to some morning direct sun is suitable, but avoid low light conditions or full sun from a southern exposure, she advises. "Be sure to allow the soil to dry out between waterings," she adds.
In the right conditions, hoyas make some of the best indoor flowering houseplants, too, with sweetly scented blooms.
7. String-of-pearls
These charming plants make good houseplants for small spaces, with delicate, dangling stems covered in green, spherical leaves. And, as Holly points out, there are also different shapes in the Senecio genus, including string-of-bananas and string-of-dolphins.
"These succulents never fail to impress, but they can be a bit more difficult to establish as they need very bright light and very little water," Holly says. "I typically wait until they start to wrinkle slightly and then water deeply — usually around once per month or less."
8. Mistletoe cactus
Vladan Nikolic, known as Mr. Houseplant, recommends the mistletoe cactus. He says it's a great choice for people looking for a unique and less common trailing plant for a hanging basket. "It has snowy white flowers, which turn into white berries similar to those on mistletoe," he adds.
Water them once the top two inches of soil have dried out, Vladan advises. Ideally, you should use rainwater, because they're sensitive to hard water, he says.
These tropical plants prefer warm temperatures from 60–80° Fahrenheit, and bright, indirect light, he adds. Need an easy way to keep an eye on the temperature – and avoid accidentally killing your plants? This Bluetooth thermometer from Amazon is a well-rated buy.
Vladan Nikolic, otherwise known as Mr. Houseplant, is a houseplant expert with over 10 years of experience. He is the founder of the houseplant care blog MrHouseplant.com and also a social media influencer helping newcomers in the houseplant world become great plant parents.
9. Rex begonia
Laura Janney, the owner of The Inspired Garden, suggests rex begonias for hanging baskets. They're the "easiest of begonias," she says, and while they do flower, their gorgeous leaves steal the show.
They need indirect light and like to be consistently moist — but do not overwater, Laura advises. "Water when the top third of soil is dry."
They make great bathroom plants, Laura continues. The humidity will help them thrive. Note that they're not pet-friendly houseplants, though, if you have four-legged friends.
A winner of the 2024 Houzz Design award, Laura has over 20 years of experience in gardening and working with clients designing beautiful gardens. She has also spent multiple years working as an indoor plant stylist and consultant, specializing in a wide variety of indoor houseplants and succulents, and designing container gardens. She is also a prolific writer, having authored numerous articles on houseplant care.
10. Lipstick plant
Lipstick plants (available from The Sill) are another suggestion from Paris, who highlights their trailing vines and vibrant flowers that resemble tubes of lipstick.
They are relatively easy to look after, preferring bright, indirect light and watering when the top half of soil feels dry, she says. They are not suited for low light areas in the home, and will be happy in higher humidity conditions, she adds.
Vladan also recommends these plants, and advises planting them in well-draining, oxygen-rich soil. "You can make your own mix by mixing two parts of any commercial potting mix with one part of chunky amendments, like perlite or bark," he says. Organic perlite is available from Perfect Plants Nursery.
What to shop
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This well-rated potting mix from Miracle-Gro will help your houseplants thrive, whether they're in hanging baskets or containers elsewhere.
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Looking for a small houseplant to hang up high? Try this charming and budget-friendly string-of-pearls from The Succulent Cult.
FAQs
How should you water indoor hanging baskets?
Don't forget to give your hanging baskets their H2O. Rather than reaching up with a watering can, which can be tricky (and result in spills), take the pots down from their usual position if possible. Then, water them in the sink, letting the water drain fully out of the holes, before returning them to their place.
You can also shop for self-watering hanging planters, available from Amazon. With these, you simply add water to the reservoir, and the plants will absorb it as and when needed.
Should you prune hanging basket houseplants?
If your houseplant is getting a little too long you can trim the stems, cutting just above growth nodes. Pruning healthy growth is generally best done in spring or summer, when the plant is actively growing, to help it recover quickly. With some plants, such as pothos and hoyas, it's worth potting up the cut pieces for propagation.
These Fiskars pruners, available from Amazon, will come in handy for the job, and can used to prune peace lilies and other houseplants, too.
The best hanging basket houseplants make a stunning addition to any interior space. However, having greenery across different levels helps to tie a room together and creates an even more impressive impact. Try complementing your plants up high with large decorative plant pots on the floor, too, as well as cute plant pots on windowsills.
