37 Trailing houseplants for shelves and hanging baskets 🌿
Nothing softens a room like a plant spilling down off a shelf or a hanging basket. These are the houseplants built to trail - vines, string-of plants and cascading growers whose notes describe long stems that drape, tumble and climb rather than sit upright in a pot.
Trailing plants get their light from above, so the growing tip nearest the light stays fullest. Rotate them, and trim leggy strands to keep the whole plant lush rather than bald at the top.
Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum)
The Arrowhead Plant - also sold as the "Goosefoot Plant" or simply Syngonium - is one of the mos…
Baby Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii - Angel's Tears)
Baby Tears - also called Angel's Tears, Mind-Your-Own-Business, or by its botanical name Soleiro…
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
The Boston Fern is the lush, cascading classic of the fern world - a soft fountain of arching gr…
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
The Burro's Tail - Sedum morganianum, also known as the donkey's tail - is a trailing succulent…
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)
The Christmas Cactus is a beloved heirloom houseplant - the one that bursts into vivid, exotic b…
Dischidia (Button Orchid / Ant Plant)
Dischidia is a genus of small, trailing epiphytes from the same family as the Hoya - and if you…
English Ivy (Hedera helix)
English Ivy is the classic trailing, climbing vine - elegant, lush, and full of old-world charm,…
Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus)
The Epiphyllum - commonly called the Orchid Cactus - is a jungle cactus that breaks all the rule…
Fishbone Cactus (Epiphyllum anguliger)
The Fishbone Cactus - Epiphyllum anguliger - is a trailing jungle cactus grown above all for its…
Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus / Columnea)
The Goldfish Plant earns its name the moment it flowers.
Gynura (Purple Passion Plant)
The Purple Passion Plant (Gynura aurantiaca) is one of those houseplants that people fall for th…
Hatiora (Easter Cactus)
The Easter Cactus (Hatiora gaertneri, sometimes sold as Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri or Schlumberger…
Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)
The Heartleaf Philodendron is, for many growers, the single easiest trailing houseplant in exist…
Homalomena (Queen of Hearts)
The Homalomena - sometimes sold as "Queen of Hearts" - is one of those quietly excellent housepl…
Hoya (Wax Plant)
The Hoya, or Wax Plant, is a long-lived, easy-going trailing and climbing plant beloved for two…
Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans)
The Lipstick Plant - Aeschynanthus radicans - is a trailing tropical epiphyte grown for two thin…
Monstera Adansonii (Swiss Cheese Vine)
The Monstera Adansonii - the "Swiss Cheese Vine" - is the smaller, trailing, holey cousin of the…
Monstera Siltepecana (Silver Monstera)
Monstera siltepecana - the "Silver Monstera" - is one of the most rewarding aroids for someone w…
Peperomia
Peperomia is not one plant but a huge, wonderfully varied family of compact, easy, pet-safe hous…
Philodendron Brasil (Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil')
The Philodendron Brasil is a trailing heartleaf philodendron whose glossy green leaves come spla…
Philodendron Micans (Philodendron hederaceum var. hederaceum)
The Philodendron Micans - Philodendron hederaceum var.
Portulacaria Afra (Dwarf Jade / Elephant Bush)
Portulacaria afra - known as Dwarf Jade or Elephant Bush - is a fast-growing, bushy succulent sh…
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum / Devil's Ivy)
Pothos is the friendliest trailing vine in the houseplant world - fast, forgiving, beautiful, an…
Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
The Prayer Plant - Maranta leuconeura - is one of the most captivating houseplants you can own,…
Rabbit's Foot Fern (Davallia fejeensis)
The Rabbit's Foot Fern - Davallia fejeensis - is a delicate, lacy fern grown for two things: its…
Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (Mini Monstera)
The Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma - almost always sold as the "Mini Monstera" - is one of the most p…
Rhipsalis (Mistletoe Cactus)
Rhipsalis - the "Mistletoe Cactus" - is a cactus that breaks all the rules you think you know ab…
Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus)
The Satin Pothos - sometimes sold as "Silver Pothos" or "Silk Pothos" - is one of those plants t…
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
The Spider Plant is the cheerful, generous, almost foolproof classic of the houseplant world.
String of Bananas (Curio radicans)
The String of Bananas - sometimes still sold under its older name Senecio radicans - is one of t…
String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus)
String of Dolphins is one of the most charming novelty succulents you can grow.
String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
The String of Hearts is one of the most delicate and romantic of all trailing houseplants - long…
String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus / Curio rowleyanus)
String of Pearls is one of the most distinctive and photogenic of all houseplants - long, delica…
String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)
The String of Turtles - Peperomia prostrata - is a delicate, slow-growing trailing plant grown a…
Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus)
Swedish Ivy - Plectranthus verticillatus - is one of the easiest and fastest trailing houseplant…
Tradescantia (Inch Plant / Wandering Dude)
Tradescantia is the fast, lush, colorful trailing plant that fills a hanging pot almost before y…
Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)
The Watermelon Peperomia - Peperomia argyreia - is a small, compact South American houseplant gr…
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Choosing a plant for a home with pets? We keep toxicity off Plantvale on purpose - see Pawholt's pet-safe plant list.