8 Best Houseplants for Hanging Baskets

Vertical Greenery

By
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh has written about gardening and special occasion flowers for the Spruce since 2011. She has more than 20 years of experience caring for flowers and plants. She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 03/09/21
Reviewed by
Debra LaGattuta
Debra LaGattuta
Reviewed by Debra LaGattuta

Debra LaGattuta is a Master Gardener with 30+ years of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Garden Review Board.

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hanging plant

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Welcome to the trend of vertical gardening. A houseplant on the windowsill or a tree tucked into the corner can enhance interior design in a way that ordinary potted plants can't. Of course, it's also fun to mix and match plants of different heights, foliage types, and flower colors.

Nothing complements trailing plants better than an elevated planter. By adding hanging baskets to an existing collection of houseplants, you create a layered look with plants from floor to ceiling. Vary the colors and shapes of your trailing houseplants to create a unique look, or choose similar plants for consistency.

The Right Height

Vining and trailing plants can create beautiful cascades of greenery when placed on a tall pedestal, hanger, or shelf. Avoid placing containers too close to the ground.

Discover the best eight houseplants ready to grace your hanging baskets for the kitchen, living room, or even bathroom. 

  • 01 of 08

    Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida)

    Hanging Chenille plant

     

    krblokhin / Getty Images

    It's hard to resist touching the fuzzy catkins of the Acalypha hispida. Chenille plants are fun specimens for the annual container garden, but they also take well to indoor culture, provided you have a bright south or east-facing window for them to gain the energy to produce their year-round blooms. Chenille plants also like lots of water and nutrients, and you can kill two birds with one stone by irrigating them with compost tea. 

    • Light: Full sun outdoors, indoors high levels of bright, indirect light
    • Water: Maintain moderate moisture but not soggy
    • Color varieties: Red
  • 02 of 08

    String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

    String of pearls

    Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

    The unusual succulent beads of the string of pearls plant look stunning in contemporary homes that feature bold and trendy design elements. Like most succulents, the string of pearls plant thrives in bright light and soil that is kept on the dry side. If your plant is happy, it may even reward you with small white flowers. Trim your string of pearls plant if the ends get too sparse. 

    • Light: Full to partial
    • Water:  Keep lightly moist during the growing season
    • Color varieties: White
  • 03 of 08

    Lipstick Vine (Aeschynanthus)

    Basket vine

    Chris Burrows/Getty Images

    Aeschynanthus specimens bring cheer to winter households when they bloom for several weeks. Lipstick vines are available in red, pink, or orange, and they make excellent houseplants because they tolerate low light conditions and infrequent watering. Purchase the largest plant you can find to see blooms in the first season. Do not prune the lipstick vine until flowering is complete, because buds form on the tips of the plant.

    • Light: Bright indirect light
    • Water: Regularly; more in spring and summer and less during winter
    • Color varieties: Red, pink, and orange
  • 04 of 08

    Black Pepper Vine (Piper nigrum)

    Black pepper plant

    Dinodia Photo/Getty Images

    The same plant that spices up your meals also makes an interesting plant for indoor hanging baskets. Black pepper vine plants need sufficient light to produce the berries we know as peppercorns, but it might be worth it to indulge in supplementary artificial light to achieve this feat. Pepper plants might be several years old before you see any blooms. Plants grow to a reasonable three feet in container culture. A summer vacation outdoors will help to maintain the plant's vigor. 

    • Light: Partial sun
    • Water: Always keep the soil slightly moist
    • Color varieties: White
    Continue to 5 of 8 below.
  • 05 of 08

    Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus)

    Goldfish plant

     

    Olga_Anourina / Getty Images

    Named for its cheerful orange blooms, the Nematanthus is also known as the Christmas holly due to its winter flowering time. The goldfish plant is a petite specimen that can grace a smaller hanging basket over your kitchen sink or in a half bath. Plants do well in low light or northern-facing windows. The goldfish plant is an epiphyte (air plant) which uses trees for support in its native habitat. Try a chunky orchid potting mix to keep roots healthy. 

    • Light: Low light
    • Water: Water thoroughly then allow top layer of soil to dry
    • Color varieties: Orange, yellow with red edges
  • 06 of 08

    Queen's Tears (Billbergia nutans)

    Queen's tears

     

    User10095428_393 / Getty Images

    Like other bromeliads, queen's tears plants produce many pups or offshoots you can remove and replant to increase your collection. Although queen's tears grow well in both high and low light conditions, the plants must have short days to trigger autumn bud formation. Therefore, allowing the plant to experience only natural light yields the best blooming results. Queen's tears are more cold tolerant than many indoor houseplants and do fine if temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. ​

    • Light: Bright indirect light
    • Water: Water the center of the rosette daily; water soil lightly; mist regularly
    • Color varieties: Pink, purple, yellow, or green
  • 07 of 08

    Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia or Nepenthes)

    Pitcher plant

    Susanne Kopp/Getty Images

    Pitcher plants from the hardy Sarracenia genus exhibit upright pitchers, but those of the tropical Nepenthes genus are intended for hanging baskets with their dangling pitchers. Tropical pitchers have very specific growth requirements but are easy to grow when these conditions are met: high light, no fertilizer, and constant moisture. Although pitcher plants are carnivorous, resist the urge to fill pitchers with flies and grasshoppers, which may rot. The occasional gnat is more than enough for an indoor pitcher plant.

    • Light: Needs vary from full to dappled sun depending on the variety
    • Water: Keep moist and well-drained
    • Color varieties: Purple, red, maroon, white, yellow, or pink with some multi-colored varieties
  • 08 of 08

    Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus argyraeus)

    Close-up of satin pothos leaves

    Danielle Given/EyeEm/Getty Images

    Pothos plants like the Scindapsus pictus argyraeus are so popular for beginners because they are classified as "no-kill" plants by some. Variegated leaves tumble over the sides of hanging baskets or cling to supports by aerial rootlets. The satin pothos likes low light and moist soil but will tolerate dry spells. 

    • Light: Low light
    • Water: Moist to dry soil
    • Color varieties: Variegated foliage; small white flowers
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