The stunning picture in our cabin bathroom bath has this remarkable view of the hillside, and it’s the perfect spot to hang plants to further enhance the breathtaking view. So, natually I have been thinking (and researching) all the best hanging plant options that are easy to take care of and look great outside a window.
The challenge is that the growing season heavily limits most outdoor plants. Fortunately, this isn’t always the case with hanging plants. While permanently mounted in place, they will have to deal with the outdoor weather, and those placed in planters can easily be moved indoors come wintertime. Or like my cabin the weather isn’t drastically different season to season and the partial shade helps things stay mild (ish) all season long.
With the proper care and love, your favorite plants can come back year after year, breathing life into the air around your home with every season. No point beating around the bush: let’s jump right into it!
Hanging Plants to Fall in Love With
Below, you’ll find some of the best plants to hang around your house. Some types of plants—like vines—will naturally hang if you just let them grow up and around your property. However, I think that being able to move your plants definitely gives potted plants an edge.
Using a hanging pot offers an easy way to arrange, care for, protect, and relocate your plants on a whim. Whether you already have plants hanging at home or are rearing to start your collection, here are fifteen options I recommend.
Sweet Potato Vine
Sweet potato vines are perfect for hanging planters because of their fast-growing, cascading foliage that adds instant visual appeal to any space. Vibrant leaf colors ranging from deep purple to bright green create striking contrast in indoor and outdoor settings. I have one growing right in front of our artist studio because I knew it would crawl up the side of the studio quickly. These beauties can grow six feet long and ten feet wide in one season. Plus, they are gorgeous! Their hardy nature and low maintenance care make it easy for them to grow, even for beginners. Sweet potato vines’ ability to thrive in various light conditions allows them to flourish in a range of environments, making them a versatile choice for enhancing interior design with a lush, trailing plant.
Air Plant
If you’re after a unique type of plant that doesn’t actually require soil to grow then you’re in luck: the air plant is a great plant for you! They might not need soil, but air plants do need to be watered regularly, with soaking and misting methods showing the best results.
Seeing as they don’t need soil, where you place them is up to you, making them a perfect addition to your hanging plant collection. Flowers vary depending on the specific type of plant you get, giving you plenty of colors to choose from.
Just make sure to avoid full sun exposure, as these plants prefer partial sun exposure instead.
Morning Glory
Beautiful, fast-growing, and extremely low-maintenance, Morning Glory is a type of vine you might find yourself considering. It’s worth noting upfront, though, that these plants are toxic to both humans and pets.
As such, they might not be the perfect outdoor options for those with four-legged friends or small children. Still, if that’s not an issue for you then these gorgeous vines are definitely worth considering.
A mere inch of water per week will usually be enough water for these plants. They can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, are pretty resistant to most common pests, and don’t have any specific humidity needs. So long as you give them the direct sunlight they need to open their flowers, these unique plants are sure to brighten up your mornings.
Boston Fern
Known for its ability to purify the air around it, the Boston Fern is a popular choice among many homeowners. These fern plants grow quickly at first, but slow down with age, making them extremely manageable.
Requirements are fairly simple, with these ferns preferring indirect light and frequent watering. In a regular pot, constant watering poses the issue of developing root rot. Fortunately, thanks to the fast drainage speeds of hanging pot plants, you shouldn’t run into that issue while hanging these ferns.
Spider Plant
Growing up to two feet tall and two feet wider, spider plants are the perfect size to place in a pot. Although often grown as indoor plants, these plants can thrive outdoors so long as they’re placed in a light, shady area.
You’ll need more than a little water to keep them happy, as they prefer moist soil over dry soil. These plants are especially sensitive to chemicals in the water, making it important to keep water sources chlorine and fluoride-free.
With long striped leaves that can even bear flowers, spider plants are some of the more simple yet enjoyable plants I like to keep around. They might not be the prettiest plants around, but I think they’re a good choice to include in your collection nonetheless.
Verbena
With flowers ranging from purple and red to pink and even white, you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to Verbena! There are actually over 250 different types of Verbena plants, each with its own unique attributes.
Trailing versions of Verbena work best for basket plants. Preferring long periods of bright light and offering some resistance to drought, these plants are fairly easy to keep happy & healthy once they’re matured.
Staghorn Fern
Best known for their unique look that mimics the antlers of a stag, Staghorn Ferns are some of the best hanging plant arrangements you can have – indoors or out. In the wild, these plants grow on the sides of trees and other large plants. This makes them an excellent candidate for your hanging plant collection.
To get them in place, you simply need to mount them (here’s a how to mount a staghorn guide for that!). You can mount them on an existing tree outdoors. If baskets are your preferred method, no worries, as they can grow well in baskets as well.
Just make sure to use a well-draining potting soil and your starter Staghorn will prove surprisingly low maintenance!
Sweet Alyssum
Fragrant with pink, purple, and white coloring, these European flowers are relatively easy to grow. They prefer a lot of sun and grow well in containers, making hanging pots a great option for them.
If you ever find that the plant’s flowers look a bit lackluster, simply deadheading the plant will quickly encourage additional blooming. However, you will need to make sure that the plant gets enough water.
While going for a couple of hours without water is fine, sweet alyssum doesn’t like extended drought periods. Make sure to give your plants a bit of extra water if they’re starting to succumb to the heat.
Burro’s Tail
If you’d like to step away from the more traditional house plants and switch things up outdoors then the Burro’s Tail might be the perfect plant for you. This simple succulent loves sunlight, sandy soil, and limited water.
Altogether, this makes it an excellent candidate for a hanging pot, minimizing the effort required while maximizing the reward. Granted, it usually won’t provide you with pretty flowers like some of the other options.
Still, what it lacks in color it makes up for with its unique shaped leaves and simple growing requirements.
Heart Leaf Philodendron
This beautiful plant is easily recognizable by its heart-shaped flowers and viny, lengthy stems. Given enough space, these stems can grow up to 13 feet long, giving it a lot of potential in a spacious area.
Low light won’t meet its needs, but direct sunlight won’t do either. Ideally, you should aim for bright, indirect sunlight exposure if possible. With the right growing conditions, these plants can even live for decades, making them some of the best hanging plants outdoor options for people who want maximum coverage.
Sweet Potato Vine
Although the name might imply that this plant is edible, unfortunately, the sweet potato vine isn’t edible. At least, it’s not “tasty” edible. Still, it is a real plant, and one that does well in full sun and warm temperatures.
The leaves themselves range from bronze and purple to light green, while the flowers can be either pink or purple. Growing up to 10 feet in total length, the sweet potato vine can look great either hanging from an exterior structure or placed in a hanging pot.
Veggies, Fruits, & Herbs
Pure beauty is surely worth having around, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave a bit of space for functionality as well. Adding vegetables, fruits, and herbs to your hanging plant setup is a great way to introduce a bit of practical appeal.
Sure, they don’t offer the same visual appeal as purely ornamental plants, but you’re not limited to one or the other either. In fact, I’d say you should combine plants for your hanging plant setup if you have the space. The fragrant blend of flora is sure to impress your guests. The key is choosing the right plants for the job.
Tomatoes
Perfect for fulfilling all of your tomato-based recipes, this tasty pick is one you can easily find seeds for at a local store. This approach will require more water than the traditional vertical approach, but it does offer easy access to these precious fruits.
Keep in mind, however, that tomato plants can grow quite large and heavy. As such, I’d only recommend growing smaller varieties—like cherry tomatoes—using this method if you want to have the best hanging plants outdoor experience possible.
Strawberries
If you prefer to make your favorite strawberry treats with homegrown fruit but have grown tired of feeding the local wildlife instead, the hanging pot approach might just make some sense. Grown this way, your plants can last for up to three years.
As an added bonus? You’ll be able to easily move them from the outdoor space to an inside one come wintertime, giving your new plants the best chance at a long, happy, and nibble-free life.
Rosemary
I’ve covered it in a recent article, but Rosemary is definitely one of the herbs you’ll want lying around. Or, in this case, hanging up above! Easy to grow, flavourful, and lasting up to ten years, rosemary is easily one of the best additions that you can have.
Arugula
Generally harvestable after only forty days, arugula is another zesty addition you might want to add to your hanging plant collection. Used in everything from salads to pizza, it can easily be paired with my next pick for some nutritious, homegrown meals.
Spinach
Love it or hate it, spinach is a healthy vegetable that’s easy to grow and perfect for balancing out one’s diet. Available in many different varieties, ready to be harvested in under two months, and perfect for growing in pots, spinach is one of the best outdoor hanging plants to keep around if you want veggies on hand all the time.
How to Hang Your Plants
Hanging your plants is fairly easy. As mentioned, plants like vines simply need to be given enough time and a place to grow. They’ll quickly reach up and over any nearby structures. hanging plants rely on pots, it’s a tad more complicated, but don’t worry. It’s still pretty easy to do.
First, you’ll need to grab some hanging plants and figure out where to put them. The porch is a popular option, but really anywhere around your yard where you have space to fill can work. That said, different plants will have different lighting needs, so make sure to keep those in mind when selecting a spot.
If possible, it might be worth investing in a bit of solar lighting. I absolutely love doing this, as it makes it so you can even enjoy your hanging plants come nighttime.
If there’s one extra important thing you’ll want to keep in mind, it’s gotta be this: hanging plants require extra water! While this will vary depending on the plants in question, the drain rate of the outdoor hanging baskets you’re using, the weather, and a few other factors, you’ll still want to keep it in mind.
Assuming your hanging planter has good drainage, you should expect to give your plant frequent watering, likely once per day. While this may prove to be too much—or too little—for your particular plants, once a day is a good place to start (unless provided with directions that tell you otherwise).
The Outdoor Hanging Plants For Your Home?
Here’s the thing. Hanging your plants is a great way to maximize space, making it viable for smaller and larger homes. Hanging plants bring the eye up and create a ton of visual interest. I highly encourage you to try this decorating technique. IT works every time! Trust me.
Hopefully, my mixture of pretty and practical plants has helped point you in the right direction. If so, feel free to leave me a comment. If not, which types of plants do you prefer to hang instead? I love hearing from you guys. As always, thanks for reading.Hope y’all have a great rest of your week! xoxo
FAQs About Best Hanging Plants Outdoor Options
What is the best low maintenance plant for hanging baskets?
Well-known and widely loved, ivy is a low-maintenance plant that will look amazing in your favorite hanging baskets.
What is the easiest hanging plant to take care of?
The answer will vary, depending on who you ask. Personally, I would put my vote in for pothos due to its highly adaptable nature!
What is the best hanging basket for full sun?
“Best” really comes down to personal preference. That said, you’ll need to ensure that all of the plants in this full-sun basket can thrive in pure sunlight. For that, petunias, bougainvillea, and SunPatiens are all good options.
What flowers last the longest in hanging baskets?
Petunias, begonias, and Sweet Alyssum are all known for being long-lasting plants that do well in hanging baskets.
How many plants should you put in a hanging basket?
You can generally put one plant for every inch of basket diameter. For example, you could fit five plants in a five-inch pot, while a twelve-inch pot could house twelve plants. Treat this as a maximum, though, as some varieties of plants will require more space per plant.
How do you make hanging baskets look good all summer?
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! Thankfully, it’s not as much work as you might think. Aside from ensuring that basic care requirements are taken care of, simply deadheading and micro-trimming your plants should keep them looking good all summer long.
