Indoor hanging plants solve the biggest problem apartment growers face: floor space. When you have 500 square feet to work with, every surface matters. Hanging plants move your greenery up and out of the way while adding life to corners, windows, and bare walls that would otherwise go unused.
I have been growing indoor house plants in apartments for years, and hanging varieties are the ones I come back to again and again. They are forgiving, they fill vertical space fast, and most of them do well in the indirect light that apartments typically get.
This guide covers 10 of the best hanging plants indoor growers can rely on. I have split them into two groups: true hanging plants that naturally grow downward, and trailing plants that work well in hanging baskets even though they also grow along surfaces. The distinction matters because trailing plants indoor tend to have different watering needs and growth habits than plants that are built to cascade.
What Makes a Good Indoor Hanging Plant
Not every plant belongs in a hanging basket. The best candidates share a few traits that make them practical for apartment life.
First, they tolerate indirect light. Most apartments do not have south-facing windows in every room, so your hanging plant needs to handle lower light levels without dropping leaves or becoming leggy. Second, they have a trailing or cascading growth habit. A plant that grows straight up just looks awkward suspended from the ceiling. Third, they are reasonably drought-tolerant. Hanging pots dry out faster than pots sitting on a surface because air circulates around them from all sides. A plant that wilts after missing one watering is going to be a headache in a hanging planter.
Weight also matters more than people expect. A large Boston fern in a ceramic pot filled with wet soil is heavy. If you are renting and cannot drill into ceiling joists, you need to think about what your mounting hardware can actually support.
Best True Hanging Plants for Apartments
These plants grow downward naturally. Put them in a hanging pot and they do the rest.
Golden Pothos
Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is the default recommendation for good reason. It tolerates low light, inconsistent watering, and temperature swings that would stress most other plants. In my apartment, a single pothos cutting grew into a 6-foot trailing vine within about 18 months, and it sits on a shelf that gets maybe two hours of indirect sun per day.
Light: Low to bright indirect. Avoid direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
Water: When the top inch of soil feels dry. Every 7 to 10 days in most apartments.
Trailing length: 6 to 10 feet at maturity.
Difficulty: Beginner. Almost impossible to kill.
If your apartment gets very little natural light, pothos is one of the best low-light indoor plants you can grow. The neon variety shows off better colour in brighter spots, but the standard golden form handles dark corners well.
Heartleaf Philodendron
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) looks similar to pothos at first glance, but the leaves are thinner, more heart-shaped, and have a velvety texture. It trails just as reliably and is equally hard to kill.
Light: Low to medium indirect.
Water: When the top inch dries out. Roughly weekly.
Trailing length: 4 to 8 feet.
Difficulty: Beginner.
I prefer heartleaf philodendron in bedrooms because the darker green leaves look less busy than variegated pothos. It is also slightly more tolerant of dry air, which helps during winter when apartment heating drops the humidity.
Spider Plant
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) do not trail in the traditional sense. Instead, they send out long arching stems called stolons that produce baby plants, or “spiderettes,” at their tips. The effect is a cascading fountain of green and white striped foliage that works well in a hanging basket.
Light: Bright indirect is ideal. Tolerates medium light.
Water: When the top inch dries. They store water in their thick roots, so they bounce back from missed waterings.
Trailing length: Stolons reach 1 to 2 feet. The plant itself stays compact.
Difficulty: Beginner.
Spider plants are prolific. One mature plant can produce a dozen babies in a single growing season, which means free plants for other rooms or for friends. Just snip the baby off once it has a few roots and pot it up.
English Ivy
English ivy (Hedera helix) is a strong trailer that adds a classic look to hanging planters. The smaller-leaved varieties like “Needlepoint” or “Ivalace” are better suited to indoor growing than the large-leaved outdoor types.
Light: Medium to bright indirect. Variegated forms need more light.
Water: Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Check every 5 to 7 days.
Trailing length: 3 to 6 feet indoors.
Difficulty: Intermediate. Prone to spider mites in dry apartment air.
The main challenge with ivy indoors is spider mites. They thrive in the dry, warm air that apartment heating creates. Misting the leaves regularly or placing a small humidifier nearby helps prevent infestations. Check the undersides of leaves every couple of weeks.
Boston Fern
Boston ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata) produce arching fronds that spill beautifully over the sides of a hanging pot. They are one of the most visually dramatic options on this list, but they demand more attention than the others.
Light: Medium indirect. No direct sun.
Water: Keep soil consistently moist. Check every 3 to 5 days. They drop fronds when they dry out.
Trailing length: Fronds reach 2 to 3 feet.
Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced. High humidity needs.
Boston ferns want 50% humidity or higher, and most apartments sit around 30% to 40% in winter. A bathroom with a window is the best spot. If that is not an option, a pebble tray with water underneath the pot helps, but you will still see some leaf drop in heated rooms during winter.
Best Trailing Plants for Hanging Baskets
These plants grow along surfaces naturally but adapt well to hanging containers. Their trailing habit tends to be more delicate and decorative than the vigorous cascading growth of pothos or philodendron.
String of Pearls
String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) is one of the most recognisable trailing plants indoor gardeners grow. The round, bead-like leaves on thin stems look striking in a hanging planter where the strands can dangle freely.
Light: Bright indirect. Needs more light than most on this list.
Water: Every 10 to 14 days. Let the soil dry completely between waterings. Overwatering kills these faster than underwatering.
Trailing length: 1 to 3 feet.
Difficulty: Intermediate. Sensitive to overwatering.
String of pearls is a succulent, which means it stores water in those round leaves. If the pearls start looking deflated or wrinkled, the plant needs water. If they turn mushy and yellow, you have been watering too much. It is a plant that rewards neglect more than attention.
String of Hearts
String of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) produces thin, wiry stems covered in small heart-shaped leaves with silver markings on top and purple undersides. It is daintier than most trailing plants, which makes it a good fit for smaller apartments where a big pothos might overwhelm the space.
Light: Bright indirect. Tolerates a couple of hours of direct morning sun.
Water: Every 10 to 14 days. Let soil dry fully between waterings.
Trailing length: 3 to 6 feet. Can grow longer with time.
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate.
The trailing strands are surprisingly long for such a small plant. A mature string of hearts in a 4-inch pot can easily produce 4-foot trails that look like a living curtain. It is one of my favourite plants for a high shelf where the vines can hang down a wall.
Burro’s Tail
Burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) has thick, plump leaves that overlap along trailing stems, giving the plant a braided or rope-like appearance. It is a succulent, so the care approach is hands-off.
Light: Bright indirect to some direct sun.
Water: Every 14 to 21 days. Very drought-tolerant.
Trailing length: 1 to 4 feet.
Difficulty: Beginner for watering, intermediate for handling. The leaves fall off if you bump the plant.
The fragile leaves are the one drawback. Moving the plant, brushing against it, or even watering too aggressively can knock leaves off the stems. Put it somewhere it will not be disturbed and leave it alone. The dropped leaves will actually root themselves in the soil below, which is either a bonus or a nuisance depending on your perspective.
Hoya (Wax Plant)
Hoyas are a large genus with many species suited to hanging baskets. Hoya carnosa and Hoya curtisii are among the most popular for indoor growing. The thick, waxy leaves are attractive on their own, and mature plants produce clusters of fragrant, star-shaped flowers.
Light: Medium to bright indirect. More light encourages flowering.
Water: Every 7 to 14 days. Let the top half of the soil dry out.
Trailing length: 2 to 4 feet for most species.
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate.
Hoyas are slow growers, so do not expect the rapid coverage you get from pothos. But they live for decades and get more interesting with age. A mature hoya that has been in the same pot for years will flower more reliably than a young one that gets repotted frequently. If your apartment has a bright window, hoyas reward patience.
Satin Pothos
Despite the name, satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus) is not actually a pothos. It belongs to a different genus entirely. The silver-speckled leaves have a matte, velvety texture that catches light differently from the glossy leaves of golden pothos.
Light: Medium to bright indirect. The silver markings fade in low light.
Water: When the top inch dries out. Every 7 to 10 days.
Trailing length: 3 to 6 feet.
Difficulty: Beginner.
Satin pothos grows a bit slower than golden pothos but is just as forgiving. It is a good choice if you want the trailing look but prefer something with more visual texture. The “Argyraeus” variety has the most pronounced silver markings and is the one you will find most often at garden centres.
Low Light Options for Dark Apartments
If your apartment faces north or has small windows, your options narrow but do not disappear. Golden pothos, heartleaf philodendron, and spider plants all handle low light. They will grow slower and produce fewer variegation patterns, but they will survive.
For apartments with genuinely dim conditions (no direct or bright indirect light in any room), a small grow light for indoor plants makes a big difference. Even a basic clip-on LED running for 8 to 10 hours a day opens up the full range of plants on this list. I have a string of pearls that would not survive in my north-facing bedroom without one.
For a deeper list of options, check out our guide to indoor plants that do well in low light.
Care Basics for Indoor Hanging Plants
Most hanging plant problems come down to watering. Pots suspended in the air lose moisture faster than those on a shelf or table because airflow hits them from every direction. In winter, apartment heating dries things out even more.
A few principles that apply across the board:
- Check before you water. Stick your finger an inch into the soil. If it is dry, water. If it is damp, wait. This simple check prevents most overwatering problems.
- Use pots with drainage holes. Hanging pots without drainage trap excess water at the bottom, which rots roots. If your decorative pot does not have holes, use a nursery pot inside it and take the whole thing to the sink when you water.
- Rotate your plants. Hanging plants near windows grow lopsided as the vines stretch toward the light. Give the pot a quarter turn every couple of weeks to keep growth even.
- Feed during the growing season. A balanced liquid fertiliser once a month from spring through autumn is enough. Skip winter. Most indoor hanging plants do not need heavy feeding.
How to Hang Plants in a Rental Apartment
Drilling into ceilings is the most secure option, but most renters cannot (or should not) do that without landlord permission. Here are alternatives that do not damage walls or ceilings.
Adhesive ceiling hooks: Command brand hooks rated for 3 to 5 pounds hold small hanging plants in lightweight plastic pots. They will not support a large Boston fern in a ceramic pot, but they work for string of hearts, small pothos, and other lightweight options.
Tension rod in a window frame: A spring-loaded curtain rod placed inside a window frame can hold several small hanging pots using S-hooks. This puts the plants right in the light, and you get the trailing effect without touching the ceiling.
Tall plant stands and shelves: Wall-mounted shelves (if you can use small screws) or tall freestanding shelves work well. Place the plant on a high shelf and let it trail down the side. Same visual effect as ceiling hanging, no overhead hardware needed.
Macrame hangers on existing fixtures: If your apartment has curtain rod brackets, light fixtures, or towel hooks that are already installed, a macrame hanger lets you hang a plant from them without any new holes.
For anyone looking to grow food alongside decorative plants in a small apartment, our guide to growing food in any space covers productive options that fit alongside your hanging greenery. An AeroGarden on the kitchen counter pairs well with trailing plants on a nearby shelf for an apartment that is both productive and green.