Let’s face it if you wanted to make your lovely mini garden to any space inside your home, climbing plants are the fastest way to achieve that. We love our rubber trees and fiddle leaf figs, but if you wanted a low-maintenance way to instantly add oomph to your kitchen, office, bed, or living room, the sprawling trailing house plants are the best way to go.
There’s something about cascading, trailing plants on a shelf or an indoor climbing plant on a trellis that instantly adds texture to your indoor decor. They bring the beauty of the outdoors inside, they provide plenty of health benefits, they take up less floor space, and most of all, they are really easy to grow.
The Best Indoor Climbing Plants
1. Bougainvillea
You were probably not expecting to find this plant at the top of our list. When I started growing my own indoor vining and climbing plants, the Bougainvillea wasn’t on my list too. But after 2 years of simply neglecting a pot that was just sitting on the ledge under full sun, I finally realized just how easy it is for this beauty to grow.
To enjoy their colorful flowers and leaves, avoid overwatering the plant, watering only when the soil is mostly dry. When it blooms, add liquid fertilizer every month. Place them where they can get full sun for at least six hours, your window or ledge would be the best place. Note that this lateral vine has small thorns, so wear gloves when you try to prune them.
2. Burros Tail
Even when it’s hanging with a group of other vining plants, the Burros Tail catches attention like no other. The beautiful succulent has chubby, thick leaves. It comes in green to gray-green and blue-green colors. It’s the kind of plant kids and adults alike will be tempted to touch, but be warned, the Burros Tail dislikes that kind of disruption. They also like staying in one spot. Thus, it makes sense to put this in a hanging basket for everyone to see but not touch. Keep it in a position where it gets a lot of bright sunlight, ideally in a south-facing window.
3. Pothos
No list of climbing and vining houseplants would ever be complete without the Pothos plant. Many know it as the Devil’s Ivy, named allegedly because it is one of the hardest plants to kill. You can grow it cascading down from your shelves or hanging baskets, or you can have it climb up from the floor to the ceiling. You can put a moss or coco pole in the pot and watch the devil’s ivy roots establish well. What I enjoy about this plant are the varieties available. There are neon green pothos, golden pothos, and silver or satin pothos. Collect them all and watch your home become a vining jungle.
4. Bleeding Heart
Thick and lush green indoor vines in your home are already so visually pleasing but imagine an occasional bloom of red and white flowers from spring through fall. That’s the beauty of this tropical indoor vine, the Bleeding Heart. Named so because the eye-catching red flowers are somewhat heart-shaped. Can something like this actually grow indoors? Why, yes! The Bleeding Heart is a shade plant and will thrive in partial sunlight to full shade, making it the ideal indoor climbing plant. I personally recommend growing this with a trellis. Plant in well-draining soil and be sure to water them every week. In the growing season, feed them liquid fertilizer.
5. Wisteria
When I think of magical and charming cottages, I always imagine the wisteria plant completely engulfing the house. Like the photo above, it’s purple rain! To my glee, wisteria can actually be grown indoors. In fact, some enthusiasts have grown wisterias as a bonsai plant. These are very sturdy indoor plants that can climb up your trellis. They are rapid growers and you’ll need to prune it regularly every spring to keep it under control (or not, just enjoy the white, blue, or violet flowers).
When growing indoors, keep it in warm, direct sunlight. Keep the soil damp and keep a humidifier on if you are in a dry climate.
6. Betel Leaf Plant
How about an indoor climbing houseplant that’s also edible? The betel leaf or Piper betle is from the family Piperaceae which is the same family of pepper and kava. In many parts of Asia, this plant is used for religious ceremonies and is eaten for its curative and healing benefits especially for those with colds and coughs. But even if you’re not up for some traditional medicine, this is one perfect indoor climbing houseplant. It’s easy to propagate and likes to be in partially-shaded areas. You can enjoy large heart-shaped leaves that are fast climbers.
7. Split Leaf Philodendron
Of all the houseplants in all of the plant community, this has to be the most favored of all. The split-leaf philodendron comes by many names, and it’s popularly known as the Monstera Deliciosa. You might be wondering how it can climb up with its large split leaves. The Monstera has aerial roots that serve as vertical support but it does not have adhering roots. Providing a moss pole to help it climb upward is your best move. When it’s mature and grown a lot, the tropical leaves of philodendrons will be so huge and beautiful they can cover the moss pole.
While most of us grow this trailing plant for its beauty, one of the best reasons you should grow this indoors is that this philodendron doesn’t require direct sunlight and can thrive in low light. You can move it around your house and display it anywhere.
8. Clematis
What’s better than fasts growing climbing vines? Why, flowering indoor vines, of course! Clematis is a climbing vine that blooms colorful flowers during the spring and summer seasons. Like most flowering plants, it needs to be in a bright spot that receives full sun. Regular watering is required when you notice the soil drying out. The clematis does well in containers because it also requires minimal pruning. With the proper care and attention, you’ll have a lovely and fragrant climbing vine that blooms every year.
9. Creeping Fig
If you want to enjoy gorgeous topiaries inside your home, the best indoor vine plant that would cover it up is the creeping fig. They have small leaves that are leathery and dark. Though this creeping vine is slow-growing, it is well worth it as the outcome are dense, clinging branches that will cling to most surfaces. Provide bright and indirect light to ensure healthy growth. This is one houseplant that needs moist soil. Moist but not overly wet! During the winter season, provide some extra humidity as this is their most desired environment. Oh, and best of all, they don’t have to be pruned!
10. String of Pearls
Personally, I’ve always found that the people who own a string of pearl houseplants are the most fun and most quirky people around. Perhaps that’s simply a personal observation, but very often, houseplants match their owners, and the string of pearls is definitely fun and quirky. The botanical name of this indoor vine is Senecio rowleyanus and it is a cascading succulent. It grows fast and is tolerant to drought. But like many succulents, this is also a delicate houseplant that needs to be handled gently. They look the prettiest potted in hanging baskets in an area that gets bright sunlight. Ideally, they should be planted in sandy soil, and water sparingly!
11. Black-eyed Susan
The first time I saw a Black-eyed Susan as an indoor house plant, I was stunned. I never considered this flowering plant could be an indoor vine. But with flowers so beautiful with vivid colors of orange, red, or yellow, it is one of the climbing vines that you should also enjoy indoors. There are many ways you can display this plant but hanging baskets are ideal so they gracefully cascade down towards the floor. For light conditions, they do best in full sun to partial shade. Keep the roots cool and moist.
12. English Ivy
Another creeper worthy of mentioning in this list is the English Ivy. The ivy has over 100 species that you can grow as an indoor vine plant, but the English Ivy is the most popular. Indirect but bright light works best for these indoor vines. This ivy plant’s botanical name is Hedera Helix and it is perfect on a hanging basket, on a center table, or even as a wall creeper. Keep in well-draining soil and enjoy the foliage.
13. Wandering Jew
If you really want a houseplant that’s fast-growing, with beautiful trailing stems, this houseplant is the one for you. I had a few cuttings that I simply placed on a hanging basket, to my surprise, it grew attractive zebra-patterned foliage of purple and green stripes. The wandering Jew or Purpleheart plant can thrive even in the worst conditions!
Make sure it gets indirect, bright light. Water only when the soil is dry.
14. Heartleaf Philodendron
It’s impossible for me not to add this fast-growing, low light loving indoor vine. The Heartleaf Philodendron is a stylish houseplant, with cultivars like the ‘brasil’ or ‘micans’ that are beginner-friendly. They thrive well in low light conditions and just need enough water to keep the soil moist. My heartleaf philodendrons are now long creeping vines, beautifully cascading from the plant stand. You can also train them to grow up along walls.
15. Arrowhead Plant
The first syngonium podophyllum or arrowhead plant I got died on me. At first I didn’t know that this was a trailing plant. Mine had two stems that are shaped exactly as they are called – arrowhead plant. But with the proper care, attention, and maintenance, you will actually get a houseplant that’s green, leafy, and trailing. They are gorgeous all year round.
They need to be in a humid place with bright but indirect sunlight. My mistake was not watering them enough, so watch the leaves for telltale signs.
Caring for Indoor Vines
We’ve listed some of the most popular, best indoor plants and some of the most peculiar options for climbers and trailing plants. Going over this list, you may have noticed some common care tips that you should pay attention to.
Lighting conditions – most of the indoor vine plants on this list need bright light, but mostly they also need to be placed indirectly from the sun. Flowering plants need more sunlight to bloom.
Water – container planting is the way to go for climbing indoor plants. For best growth, plant them in rich but well-draining soil.
With proper care and attention, and a whole lot of love, your vines and climbers will grow luxuriously in your own home.
