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Our Top 10 Trailing Houseplants

Here at TLB, we just love trailing houseplants.We’ve curated a list of our top 10 trailing houseplants to help you decide which one you might like.

They’re the perfect way to transform your living space into a calm and luscious oasis. And they’re great for bringing the outdoors into smaller spaces as they can be slightly less space-hungry.

Whether you’re popping your trailing greenery in one of our macrame hangers, on a shelf or a window sill, you can delight in your gorgeous greenery as it cascades down and turns your interior into an urban jungle. 

Best Trailing Plants for Bright Light

These plants love light – pop them in a bright spot in your kitchen or living space and watch them thrive. With a little TLC, they’ll give you many months of happiness.


Devils Ivy

The Devil’s Ivy is a strong contender in our top 10 trailing houseplants list. This is an interesting plant because it’ll climb or hang depending on where you place it. It’s got beautiful heart-shaped leaves with yellow specks and stripes running through them, adding a touch of sunshine to your indoor space any time of year.

The Devil’s Ivy is known by its fun moniker because it’s so hard to kill. It only needs a small amount of water every 1-2 weeks. It also enjoys plenty of humidity, so mist your plant every now and then to keep it fresh.

Place your plant: in the room that gets the most light, such as your kitchen or living room. Place it as high as you can so that it grows towards the ground. It’s also a good bathroom plant – it’ll benefit from the humidity the room produces.

Philodendron Cordatum

The Philodendron Cordatum is a trailing beauty with gorgeous heart-shaped leaves. This is why it’s also known as the Sweetheart Plant. It’s the perfect plant to add to an indoor jungle, especially if you place the plant on a high shelf where it can trail down.

The plant likes a light spot and thrives indoors with a little TLC. It’s a fast-growing beauty, so it needs watering once a week. Mist your plant frequently throughout the summer – it appreciates lots of moisture.

Place your plant: the Sweetheart Plant is another excellent trailing houseplant for the bathroom, mainly because it’ll enjoy the humidity. It’ll also benefit from south or west-facing windows with plenty of light.

Satin Pothos

If you like trailing plants, you’ll love the Satin Pothos. This evergreen climber commonly grows in rainforests. It’s drought-tolerant, so it’s happy to tolerate a little bit of neglect (not too much, though!).

The plant likes a bit of humidity, so make sure your chosen spot isn’t too dry. Regularly mist your plant to keep the leaves happy.

Place your plant: somewhere that gets plenty of bright, indirect light where it’ll thrive. If your plant doesn’t get enough light, the leaves will lose their variegation. 

Philodendron Brasil

With its heart-shaped, yellow and green variegated leaves, the Philodendron Brasil is one of the prettiest small houseplants in our top 10 trailing houseplants list. If you’re looking to create a stylish plant shelfie, it’s the right trailing plant for you. Watch the leaves trail down right before your very eyes.

Water your Philodendron Brasil once a week and give it a light spritz every now and then to keep it happy. It enjoys a bit of extra moisture and will thank you for it.

Place your plant: in a bright spot that gets plenty of indirect sunlight. It likes medium light levels best, but it can also tolerate some low indirect light.

Best Trailing Plants for Indirect Light

Some plants like their position to be just right – that means not too bright and not too shaded. Keep them out of direct, full sunlight and they’ll trail down beautifully in no time.

String of Hearts

We call the String of Hearts the “ultimate trailing plant”. It’s perfect for small spaces and grows downwards from a high shelf, making it a great companion for your home office. Because it’s only little, it only needs watering once every 10 days. Let the soil dry out in between waterings.

Keep your plant looking its best with regular pruning. Untangle the leaves as they grow and give it a haircut whenever it starts to look unruly. This will keep them as healthy as possible.

Place your plant: the String of Hearts is happiest in a sunny spot where it gets a good amount of morning light. Position your plant close to a window with lots of indirect light, and it’ll reward you with heart-shaped leafy growth.

Devil’s Ivy Marble Queen

The Marble Pothos Devil’s Ivy is a fast-growing plant that features in our top 10 trailing houseplants. It’ll climb or trail naturally with guidance – you can choose which you prefer by placing it up high or down low.

The plant is super easy to care for, so it’s great for newbie plant owners. Just water when the soil’s dry and don’t let it stand in water. Every now and then, gently remove lower yellow leaves to allow the plant to focus on new growth. This will keep it healthy and help it thrive.

Place your plant: in a bright east-facing window where it’s bright and sunny. Avoid prolonged periods of direct sunlight, however, as the leaves will scorch.

Spider Plant

The Spider Plant looks like it has come straight out of the ’70s… we don’t think it ever went out of fashion. The plant likes to be warm, so it’ll benefit from a toasty spot in your home away from draughts.

Spider Plants only need weekly waterings. They like their soil to be slightly damp, but they don’t like being over-saturated either. If you don’t mist your plant regularly, the leaf tips will turn brown. You can trim these off, but try giving your plant a spritz to keep the leaves healthy.

Place your plant: in a humid bathroom or kitchen to keep it hydrated. You could also position it somewhere bright, but be sure to keep it away from direct sunlight to protect the leaves.

Tradescantia

With its stripey purple leaves, the Tradescantia Zebrina is a fabulous two-tone plant you’re sure to fall in love with. It trails beautifully when it’s placed on a shelf or tall sideboard – perfect for a living room or home office.

Despite their intricate look, Tradescantia plants are surprisingly easy to care for and only need a little TLC to thrive. Water your plant once every 7-10 days, being careful not to let it sit in water. Tradescantias enjoy lots of humidity, so they’re the perfect houseplants for kitchens and bathrooms. You can also give your plant a regular misting to keep it moist, which will also ward off pests, such as Tradescantia-loving spider mites.

Place your plant: position it in a bright, sunny spot away from direct sunlight to protect the leaves from scorching. Tradescantia plants hail from warm, tropical regions, so they don’t like to live near draughts or chilly rooms.

Best Trailing Houseplants for Low Light

Not all plants need lots of sunlight. Some are happy to grow in the shade or positions with low light levels. Growth may slow down slightly, but your plant will still achieve a beautiful trailing effect.

Monstera Monkey Leaf

You’ll love the Monstera Monkey Leaf – check out its funky holey leaves! Did you know that “Monstera” means strange in Latin? The top 10 trailing houseplant gets its name from its unique-looking leaves.

The Monstera Monkey Leaf enjoys a drink every five days. Allow the soil to dry out between every watering to prevent your plant from sitting in water. It also thrives in a humid environment. You could place it in a bathroom or kitchen to keep the soil and leaves nice and moist.

Place your plant: the Monstera Monkey Leaf is happy to live in dappled, indirect light. While growth slows down in low light, it’s more than happy to tolerate a little shade. This guy is an excellent plant for homes that don’t get much natural light.

Peperomia Rotundifolia

Also known as the Trailing Jade, the Peperomia Rotundifolia is one of the cutest plants around. It’s one of the ultimate trailing indoor plants for shelves – perfect for creating the oh-so-popular Insta shelfie look.

To keep your plant looking its best as it grows, trim off any yellowing leaves to make way for healthy ones to grow through. It’s sometimes referred to as the radiator plant because of its fondness for warm temperatures. However, keep your plant away from direct sunlight and draughts to allow it to retain moisture.

Place your plant: the Peperomia Rotundifolia is happy to tolerate a bit of shade, content in a north-facing window sill. It also copes surprisingly well under artificial or fluorescent light, making it ideal for a home office or shelfie.

Ways to Style Your Trailing Plants


With our top 10 trailing houseplants, you can create a jungle look by simply popping them on a high shelf or hanging them from the ceiling using a plant hanger. Or why not make a real statement and follow the Insta trend by hanging your trailing indoor plants from a stylish ladder?

We’d suggest hanging your trailing plants at different heights to create the perfect indoor jungle look. Our natural Macramé Plant Hangers are the ideal choice to hang your trailing plants from any corner of your room. They’re handwoven by talented artisans using sustainable cotton and eucalyptus, with intricate knotting details for an ornate look.

We think allowing your trailing plants to hang as they grow is the perfect way to show them off and admire them. Before long, they become a focal point in your chosen room, changing up the space in one simple step. You can even train them to climb across an archway or door frame. Give it a try – you won’t regret it, we promise!

Trailing Plant FAQs

We love chatting to you about your trailing beauties and answering your questions. So, here are answers to some of the most common trailing plant FAQs we get here at Team TLB. If you still have questions about any of our top 10 trailing houseplants, feel free to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Are Trailing Houseplants Safe for Pets?

If you have cats or dogs, there are a few trailing houseplants to watch out for because they are considered toxic:

  • Devil’s Ivy
  • Philodendron Cordatum
  • Satin Pothos
  • Philodendron Brasil
  • Devil’s Ivy Marble Queen
  • Tradescantia
  • Monstera Monkey Leaf

If you’re specifically after a plant that is safe for your cat or dog, check out our guide on plants that are safe for pets. And remember to be careful of any trailing leaves if your cat (or dog) likes climbing or jumping. It’s best to pop them in a high place where they can’t be reached or knocked over.

Are Trailing Houseplants Air Purifiers?

A famous study by NASA discovered that some plants are air-purifiers, removing harmful toxins from the air by absorbing gases through their leaves and roots. They also remove carbon dioxide from the air through the process of photosynthesis. Check out our product descriptions to find your favourite air-purifying trailing houseplants.

There’s nothing we love more than answering your questions. So, if you have questions about our top 10 trailing houseplants or other plants in general, please do get in touch with us today. If you need any advice on how to grow and care for your trailing plants – we’d be more than happy to help. Until next time!

Lots of love, Team TLB xx

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