Houseplants are a wonderful way to bring nature indoors and elevate the ambiance of any room. One particularly eye-catching way to display your greenery is by hanging indoor plants from the ceiling. This technique not only saves valuable floor space but also creates a visually stunning focal point.
Hanging indoor plants is also a great way take advantage of the space around windows – usually the location with the best light for growing plants indoors.
How to Hang Indoor Plants
When deciding how to anchor a hanging plant from a ceiling remember to take into account the weight of the plant when watered and if it’s a vigorous grower, the additional weight that will accumulate as the plant grows bigger.
The standard way to hang a plant is by using a ceiling hook. If you are installing hooks into drywall, you’ll want to use a hook with an anchor.
Alternative Ways to Display Hanging Indoor Plants
Hanging plants from the ceiling isn’t the only solution for enjoying pots of hanging houseplants. You can get creative and come up with interesting, alternative ways to display your hanging indoor plants. Here are six ideas to consider:
1. Use “s” hooks to hang plants
“S” hooks are an excellent way to hang a single hanging pot or multiple plants to a hook, metal bar or pipe, wooden pole, or even a rustic branch.
2. Hanging plant bracket
The same type of decorative bracket wall hangers that you use outdoors can be used indoors as well. If possible, secure the hanger in a wall stud for extra strength.
3. Sturdy curtain rod
A tension rod for curtains or a closet is a quick and easy way to set up a bar for hanging baskets in a window.
4. Add a touch of whimsy
Birdcages create a platform for holding a pot as well as offering a fun, whimsical way to display a trailing plant.
5. Repurpose a clothing rack
A portable clothing rack can be easily positioned in front of a window so that plants get the best light. This is a great, no-drilling-involved, option.
6. Wooden wall rail with hangers
If you’re going to hang multiple plants on a wooden rail on a wall, be sure to go with smaller plants and pots that won’t extend too far away from the wall or accumulate too much weight.
Best Locations for a Hanging Houseplant
Remember to factor in accessibility when hanging your plants. You’ll want to be able to easily water and maintain your plant so you must consider the height and placement carefully.
- Don’t locate hanging plants where you have to reach over furniture to water them. You also don’t want plants hanging over electronic devices such as televisions or gaming systems where dripping water could cause damage.
- Also don’t hang plants where they might bump taller people in the head.
- If you don’t already have one, you may want to invest in a sturdy stepladder to make plant watering and general maintenance easier.
Watering Hanging Houseplants
While a pot with drainage is always recommended for potted houseplants, this poses a special problem for hanging plants. Options for making watering hanging indoor plants easier:
Grow your plant in a hanging planter without drainage and then exercise caution when watering to avoid overwatering. If you gently lift on the pot after watering to get a “feel” for the weight, then do the same when you check for watering by feeling the soil surface moisture, lift the pot again to feel the weight. Over time you can get very good at judging the moisture in the pot by this combination of weight and feeling the soil.
Place the grower pot with drainage holes inside a decorative pot with no drainage. In this case you would want to pour off any excess water after thoroughly watering the plant.
Take down the plant for watering. Place the pot in a sink, tub or bucket to water and rehang it when there is no more water draining. During warm weather you can take your plant outside to water it and bring it back indoors later.
You may see or read about suggestions to water your hanging plant with ice cubes so that the water is more slowly released into the soil. Realize that the ice will eventually melt into water, that can still drip from the hanging pot if you apply a lot of ice cubes and have open drain holes. Also, tropical plants are very sensitive to cold. Placing ice cubes next to, or on the stems of your tropical plants, can cause tissue damage to your plant.
Best Plants for Growing in Hanging Pots
It’s crucial to select the right plants for hanging. Look for lightweight, trailing varieties that will cascade beautifully, such as ivy, pothos, or string of pearls. Avoid heavy, bulky plants that may be challenging to support as well as those that have a very vertical growth habit. We’ve got a great list of plants perfect for growing in hanging pots. Have a look at our article, 30 of the Best Plants for Hanging Houseplants to find plants best suited to your situation.
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