Finding the Best Indoor Hanging Plants for You
Your home should feel like an oasis made just for you: a safe space to enter into your deepest state of relaxation and contentment. An important part of creating this space is making sure it reflects who you are.
Even if you’re living in an apartment and can’t paint the walls or hang artwork, adding some indoor hanging plants to your home is the perfect way to spruce up the place.
Indoor hanging plants are becoming increasingly popular due to their natural boho aesthetic and charm. They can improve indoor air quality, decrease air pollutants, and some even have relaxing effects that can help you sleep.
We’ve put together a guide of some of the best indoor hanging plants available so you can see what best fits your living space and décor.
6 of the Best Indoor Hanging Plants
Bird’s Nest Ferns
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Light Conditions: Bright light
- Water: Routine watering – will thrive if kept in a moist environment, like in a bathroom with a shower
These plants have some variations, as some have ruffled leaves and some leaves are straight. All of them hold an upright, elegant vase shape, which is great if you don’t want a plant that’s trailing over the edges of the pot.
In the wild, they are epiphytic, which means they grow on other plants. In nature, the leaves can reach five feet long, but a domestic cut will only reach about two feet, so it won’t take over your apartment!
Chenille Plants
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Light Conditions: Needs lots of sunlight
- Water: Keep the soil lightly moist
A chenille is one of the most unique-looking options when it comes to picking a hanging plant. Instead of just green leaves, this plant has pops of pink with flowers that look like fuzzy caterpillars.
It’s actually named for the French word for caterpillar! If you’re planning to plant them in a box with other flowers, choose ones that complement their soil needs, such as begonias or petunias.
Boston Ferns
- Difficulty: Requires a lot of maintenance
- Light Conditions: Little to moderate light
- Water: Needs constant humidity, so place them on top of a tray with pebbles and water
Boston ferns are also known as sword ferns due to their pointy frond shapes. While they are inexpensive, they require a lot of TLC. Their complicated watering needs will make it difficult to find a good planter for them to hang from.
Also, if you don’t enjoy vacuuming, maybe go with a different plant; they shed quite a bit. But if you love their wild, forest look, they’re definitely worth the effort! They grow slowly, so if you nourish this fern to a large size, you know you’re a good plant mom!
String of Pearls Plant
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Light Conditions: Bright light
- Water: Let the soil mostly dry between waterings
This plant’s name makes perfect sense once you’ve seen it. Each stem trailing over the edge of the planter has pea-sized “pearls” running all the way down them.
Its cascading stems give the plant a very unique look. If you’re interested in propagation, taking stem pieces is easy and regrows well with assistance.
English Ivy
- Difficulty: Easy
- Light: Full sun, partial shade
- Water: Let it completely dry between each watering
English ivy’s trailing vines of heart-shaped leaves make it one of the most popular indoor plants. Because of how quickly and aggressively it grows, it’s actually considered an invasive species in a portion of the United States.
Left unchecked, it can grow tendrils up to 100 feet long! However, it’s safe to plant in the home and its romantic look is sure to please. When it comes to indoor hanging plants, English Ivy makes a great choice!
Spider Plants
- Difficulty: Easy
- Light Conditions: Bright light
- Water: Add water when soil is slightly dry
Spider plants are well-known for their classic thin, long leaves and their hardy resilience. As long as you pay attention to their moderate water needs, they should stay bright and healthy. While they can adapt to low light, they prefer bright sunlight to truly thrive.
If you’re interested in propagating your own plants, spider plants are fairly easy to regrow. Just pick off the tiny plantlets at the end of the leaves and repot them to watch your new plants grow.
Best Indoor Hanging Plants: Pots and Decor
One way to really hone in on the beauty of your plants is by picking the best indoor hanging pot. Finding a hanging basket that matches your decor can really give your plants a cohesive look, even if you’re growing a wide variety of plants.
Macramé
If you’re looking for a unique way to hang your plants, check out these cute macramé hangers! They come in a variety of colors and you can choose between 30, 40, or 55 inches. It’s our favorite way to show our indoor hanging plants!
Disco
Want to add some sparkle and a bit of a party atmosphere to your room? This adorable disco ball plant hanger will do just the trick! Its eccentric mix of dance party and homey plant makes it extra fun.
The Female Form
None of these are unique enough? Check out these female torso, wall-mounted planters!
Minimalist Shapes
Looking for something simple and elegant? These minimalist, uniquely-shaped planters are a great addition to a chic space.
Spooky Skull
Looking for a hint of the macabre? These skull-shaped planters are definitely a unique oddity that would work well for someone who likes things slightly spooky.
Finding the Indoor Hanging Plants That Work Best for You
The plants that work best for you will depend on the intersection of your comfort level with complex plants and your specific aesthetic. If you want something that’s easy to grow, don’t go with something like the Boston Fern.
If you don’t want leaves trailing over the sides of your pot, the bird’s nest fern is a great pick for you. Not sure how to take care of your plants? Check out our plant care guide series, which we’re constantly adding to!
Whatever you choose, adding plants to your home will brighten up your room and make any space just a touch cozier.
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.
Love those hanging planters! I need to get creative and find more spots where I can hang, tough w/ 14′ ceilings LOL. Definitely need to find low-light options that work well in bathrooms where the ceiling height is lower :).
A bunch of these would DEFINITELY be adorable in a bathroom! Boston Ferns love humidity, so I bet they would thrive in there!