Low-Light Hanging Plants That Trail Beautifully Indoors

Pothos is the hanging plant I’d pick first for a dim room. It trails for several feet, keeps its leaves in a north-facing window, and recovers from a missed watering faster than almost anything else you can hang.

Heartleaf philodendron is a close second for rooms that are even darker.

For most homes, golden pothos is the best low-light hanging plant, because it tolerates a north window or a spot deep in a room and still puts out long, leafy vines. A few other trailing plants handle dim light well too, and a few popular ones need a much brighter spot than their labels suggest.

How Much Light Reaches a Hanging Basket?

A hanging basket gets less light than a plant sitting on a windowsill below it, so most hanging spots count as low light even in a sunny room.

Height, distance from the glass, and the window’s direction all cut into what reaches the leaves. Some trailing plants sold as “easy” can’t cope with that.

Why Is It Darker Near the Ceiling?

Daylight comes in through the window and travels across the room at an angle.

The top of the window frame and the wall above it shade the area near the ceiling, so a basket hung a foot below the ceiling misses a lot of the sky a windowsill plant can see.

Distance makes it worse. Light drops off fast as you move away from the glass, and a basket 6 feet back from a north window gets a small fraction of what the sill gets.

A quick check works well. Hold your hand about a foot above the spot at midday. A sharp shadow means bright light; a faint, fuzzy one means low light; no shadow at all means the spot is too dark for any plant without help.

What Counts as Low Light Versus Indirect Light?

I use three plain terms throughout:

• Direct sun: a sunny south or west window where the sun’s rays hit the leaves.
• Bright indirect light: near a window, but out of the sun’s rays.
• Low light: a north window, or a spot deep in a room.

Low light still means daylight. If you can’t comfortably read a book in the spot at noon, it’s too dark for plants long term. Hanging plants that don’t need sun still need that steady ambient glow.

Which Trailing Plants Need a Brighter Spot?

Several popular trailers are often listed as plants for low light, and I’d skip them for a dim corner:

• String of pearls: a succulent that shrivels and rots in dim light.
• Burro’s tail (donkey’s tail): needs bright light to keep its plump, beaded stems full.
• Swiss cheese vine (Monstera adansonii): survives in low light but grows slowly and makes smaller leaves with fewer holes.

Save these for an east or west window, or set them under grow lights for indoor plants on a 10- to 12-hour timer.

Pothos for Long, Forgiving Vines

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is the most reliable trailing vine for a dim room. Its heart-shaped leaves can hang 6 feet or more from a basket, and it keeps growing in a north window, just slower.

Varieties I’d choose for low light:

• Golden pothos: green with yellow streaks; the toughest of the group.
• Neon pothos: bright chartreuse leaves that stand out in a dark corner.
• Marble queen: heavy cream variegation that fades toward green in low light.
• Satin pothos: technically Scindapsus pictus, with silver-spotted leaves that hold their pattern well.

Water when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry. In low light that often stretches to every 10 to 14 days. Soggy soil, more than dim light, is what kills most pothos, and yellow lower leaves are the usual warning.

To keep trailing vines full, pinch the tips every few months. You can also coil a long stem back over the soil so its nodes root and thicken the top of the basket.

Feed with liquid fertilizer at half strength every 2 to 4 weeks in spring and summer, and stop in winter.

The ASPCA lists pothos as toxic to cats and dogs.

Heartleaf Philodendron for Dimmer Rooms

Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) handles the darkest spots of any plant on this list. It grows naturally under a thick forest canopy, so a hallway or a room with one small north window suits it.

It looks a lot like pothos. The heart-leaf philodendron has thinner, softer leaves with a more pointed tip, and new leaves unfurl from a thin papery sheath. It also tends to drape more gracefully, which makes it one of my favorite hanging houseplants.

Care is simple:

• Let the top inch of soil dry, then water until it drains.
• Pinch stem tips to make the plant bushier.
• Trim off long, bare strands and root them in water to refill the pot.
• Wipe dust off the leaves every few weeks so they catch every bit of light.

The striped ‘Brasil’ cultivar holds its color in dim light better than most variegated vines. If leaves get small and spaced far apart, the plant is asking for more light.

The ASPCA lists philodendron as toxic to cats and dogs.

Spider Plant for Arching Leaves and Plantlets

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is the best pick if you want a low-light hanging plant that’s also pet safe. It prefers medium light but tolerates deep shade, and it does especially well in hanging baskets where its leaves can cascade.

It’s a clumping plant, so the “trail” comes from arching leaves and long stems carrying baby plantlets. Those plantlets form when the plant gets short days (less than 12 hours of light) for at least three weeks.

A naturally dim spot often works in your favor here.

My tips for a hanging spider plant:

• Water when the top inch is dry; its thick roots store water.
• Use rainwater or distilled water if leaf tips brown, since fluoride and chlorine in tap water can cause tip burn.
• Skip heavy feeding, which cuts down on plantlets.
• Keep it above 45°F.

Striped types like ‘Vittatum’ fade a bit in deep shade but stay healthy. That’s why I rank it among the best indoor hanging plants for beginners.

Hoya for Waxy, Slow-Growing Trails

Hoya survives in low light but grows slowly and rarely flowers there. I’d hang it in your brightest dim spot, such as a few feet from an east window.

Hoya carnosa, the common wax plant, has thick, waxy leaves on vines that reach 3 to 4 feet in time. Those leaves store water, so the plant handles dry air and forgetful watering better than most.

The biggest risk is overwatering. Treat hoya like a semi-succulent:

• Let the top half of the soil dry before watering.
• Use a chunky mix with perlite and orchid bark; my guide to the best soil for indoor plants covers blends.
• Keep it slightly root-bound in a small pot.
• Never cut off old flower spurs (peduncles), because new blooms grow from the same spot.

In winter or low light, watering every 3 to 4 weeks is common. For indoor plant care pests, check leaf joints for mealybugs and dab them with 70% rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab.

The ASPCA lists Hoya carnosa as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Ferns for Baskets with More Humidity

Ferns tolerate low light well, but they need humid air and steady moisture that many homes don’t offer in winter. A bathroom with a window, or a kitchen, is a smart place for them.

Other ferns turn up on hanging lists. Sword fern types such as Kimberly queen take more light, maidenhair fern is fussy about drying out, and staghorn fern wants bright light and very high humidity. For a dim room, I’d stick with the two below.

Boston Fern: Full, Cascading Fronds

Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is the classic hanging fern. Its fronds can grow up to 4 feet long, which gives a full, waterfall look in a basket.

It needs soil that stays evenly moist but never soggy. In dry indoor air from heating, the fronds brown and shed tiny leaflets all over the floor.

Ways to keep it happy:

• Check soil every few days; hanging baskets dry fast.
• Run a humidifier nearby in winter.
• Choose the compact ‘Dallas’ fern for small baskets and dimmer rooms.
• In summer, you can hang it on a shaded porch once nights stay above 55°F.

The ASPCA lists Boston fern as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Bird’s Nest Fern: A Rosette Rather Than a Trail

Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) grows wavy, glossy fronds in a rosette instead of trailing down. In a hanging pot, it reads as a green bowl you see from below.

It’s tougher than Boston fern in dry air and handles low light well. Water around the soil, not into the center cup, since water sitting in the crown can rot it.

I like it in a shallow hanging pot near a north window where its shape gets seen from the side. Like Boston fern, it’s non-toxic to cats and dogs.

String of Hearts for a Brighter Low-Light Spot

String of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) only works in low light if you give it the brightest dim spot you have. In true low light, the stems stretch, gaps between leaves widen, and the silver marbling fades.

Hang it within a few feet of an east or north window, or add a small grow light. With enough light, these trailing plants can grow vines several feet long, and some reach 12 feet.

Watering is where most people go wrong:

• Let the soil dry fully, then soak it.
• Use a cactus mix or add perlite to regular potting mix.
• Water every 10 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter.
• Never let the pot sit in water.

If your plant looks thin at the top, lay a few vines across the soil surface. They root at the nodes and fill in the crown.

The ASPCA doesn’t list string of hearts, so I treat it with caution around pets.

English Ivy and Its Pest-Prone Foliage

English ivy (Hedera helix) tolerates moderate to low light, but I’d only recommend it if your room stays cool. In warm, dry indoor air, it’s a magnet for spider mites.

Spider mites thrive in hot, dry conditions, which describes many apartments with radiators or forced-air heat. Look for fine webbing and speckled, dull leaves. If you find them, my guide to spider mites on indoor plants walks through treatment.

To keep ivy healthy:

• Keep it between about 50 and 70°F.
• Water when the top inch feels dry.
• Rinse the leaves in the shower every few weeks.
• Spray insecticidal soap on leaf undersides every 5 to 7 days for 2 to 3 weeks if pests show up, testing a few leaves first.

Solid green types handle dim light better than white-edged ones. Among hanging plants for low light, it’s the one I’d hang in a cool entry or unheated sunroom.

The ASPCA lists English ivy as toxic to cats and dogs.

Wandering Dude Needs More Light for Color

Wandering dude (Tradescantia zebrina) grows fast in low light but loses the purple and silver stripes people buy it for. Its older common name, “wandering Jew,” is being dropped because of its antisemitic origin.

In dim light, the leaves turn plain green, stems stretch, and the plant looks thin within a few months. Hang it near a bright window with filtered sun, or under a grow light, to keep the color.

These trailing vines root anywhere a node touches soil, which makes them easy to refresh:

• Cut 4- to 6-inch stems from leggy vines.
• Push them into the same pot with nodes buried.
• Pinch tips every few weeks to keep growth bushy.
• Let the top inch dry between waterings, since soft stems rot in soggy soil.

Older plants get bare at the top. Replanting cuttings once a year keeps the basket full.

How Do You Hang and Water Plants Without Drips?

A safe hanging setup starts with a hook rated for the basket’s wet weight, then a watering routine that keeps water off your floor. Both change a bit with the seasons, since plants drink much less in winter.

Choose Hooks and Anchors for the Basket’s Wet Weight

A 10-inch basket of wet soil and plant can weigh 10 to 15 pounds or more. Weigh the basket right after watering, then pick a hook rated for at least double that.

Hardware that holds up:

• Ceiling joist: a screw hook driven into a wood joist is the strongest option. Find the joist with a stud finder.
• Drywall only: use a heavy-duty toggle bolt rated well above your basket’s wet weight.
• Wall bracket: screw it into a wall stud for baskets near windows.

I’d skip adhesive hooks for anything heavy, since humidity weakens the glue. Thin macramé hangers without a wire core also stretch over time. A vertical garden rail mounted on studs works well if you want several small pots in a row.

Water Thoroughly Without Soaking the Floor

The cleanest method is to take the basket down and water it in the sink. Soak it until water runs out the bottom, let it drain for 10 to 15 minutes, then rehang it.

If you can’t lift it, try these:

• Use a can with a long, narrow spout and pour slowly.
• Hang baskets with an attached saucer, and empty the saucer after watering.
• Switch to self-watering hanging pots for thirsty ferns.

For more ideas, I have a full guide on how to water hanging plants without dripping.

Adjust Watering as Growth Slows in Winter

Low light and short winter days slow growth, so soil stays wet much longer. A pothos that needed water every 10 days in July might need it every 3 weeks in January.

Check the soil with your finger every time instead of watering on a schedule. Lift the pot too; a light pot is dry, and a heavy one still has water.

Winter also changes feeding. I’d follow advice on how often to fertilize indoor plants: half-strength liquid fertilizer every 2 to 4 weeks in spring and summer, little or none from late fall to late winter.

Flush the pot with plain water every few months to clear salt buildup.

Damp winter soil also draws fungus gnats. Their larvae live in the top 1 to 2 inches, so let that layer dry out. Yellow sticky traps catch the adults, and BTI (sold as mosquito bits) in your watering water kills the larvae.

Which Hanging Plants Are Safer Around Pets?

Spider plant, Boston fern, hoya, and peperomias are the safest picks around cats and dogs, according to the ASPCA. Pothos, philodendron, and English ivy are toxic, so they need to stay out of reach.

Compare Pet Safety Before Choosing a Basket

Here’s how the plants compare based on ASPCA listings:

Plant	ASPCA status for cats and dogs	Low-light rating
Spider plant	Non-toxic	Good
Boston fern	Non-toxic	Good with humidity
Hoya carnosa	Non-toxic	Fair
Peperomia (incl. baby rubber plant)	Non-toxic	Fair
String of turtles	Peperomia genus, non-toxic	Fair
Pothos	Toxic	Excellent
Philodendron	Toxic	Excellent
English ivy	Toxic	Fair

Pothos and philodendron contain calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and cause drooling and vomiting. English ivy causes vomiting and diarrhea.

Baby rubber plant (Peperomia obtusifolia) and string of turtles (Peperomia prostrata) stay compact, which is helpful in cat homes. For more options, see my list of cat-friendly indoor plants.

Keep Toxic Vines Beyond a Pet’s Reach

Height protects you from dogs, but cats climb. Measure from the nearest surface your cat can jump from, such as a bookshelf or sofa back, not from the floor.

Trailing stems are the real problem. A pothos vine hanging 4 feet down brings the leaves right back into swatting range. Trim toxic vines short, and hang them over open floor away from furniture.

Fallen leaves count too. Sweep up dropped leaves from toxic plants, and call your vet if your pet chews one.

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