Living Art: Tips for Displaying Climbing Plants

Houseplants can add some extra life to any interior space. Some are prized for their decorative foliage, especially those with long trailing or climbing vines. An excellent way to decorate is to encourage your plants to grow into a lush wall covering. However, not all plants will climb or trail on their own. Here we’ll go over the best trailing and climbing houseplant varieties, as well as a few ways to display them.

Climbing & Trailing Plants

• Heart Leaf Philodendron - Heart leaf philodendrons are some of the most popular houseplants because they are easy to care for and look beautiful trailing from hanging pots and planters. They have hardy vines and glossy bright leaves that vary in color depending on the specific variety. They grow very well in moderate amounts of light with only occasional watering.

• Pothos - Pothos are also a notoriously “hard to kill” houseplant that grows quickly in long vines when in the right conditions. Pothos come in even more variations than the similar-looking heart leaf philodendrons, which gives you options for aesthetic as well. They are happy in low to moderate light and are very low maintenance growers.

• Inchplant - Inchplants have several common names including wandering Jew and purple heart. These plants grow long creeping vines with beautiful striped leaves that shimmer in the light. Most produce leaves with green on one side and dark purple on the other, making them a very attractive and eye-catching plant to trail down a bookcase or out of a hanging planter.

Decorating Ideas

Here are a few ways you can make these beautiful plants into beautiful living decorations:

• Hanging Baskets - Hanging baskets and planters are the easiest way to display the long trailing foliage of these plants. You can find a wide variety of pots and hangers, including macrame and hemp for a boho look. You can hang plants from curtain rods or brackets attached to the wall and get a stunning display of foliage.

• Trellis - You can add or create small trellises for hanging plants to attach their aerial roots to and climb. With patience, you can train a plant to grow up and follow practically any shape or size as long as it’s made of the right material. The great thing about using a trellis is that it can be a piece of wall decor all on its own. As the plant gradually grows and covers more of it, the look will change and develop the entire feel of the space.

• Hooks - For a little more precise control over long vines, you can use wall hooks or clips similarly to how you would for string lights. You can train vines around corners, archways or simply keep them in place where they are. Typically, clear plastic adhesive hooks look the best, but make sure whatever you choose is strong enough to hold the weight of the plant. It might not seem like much, but if a plant has multiple vines hanging from the same hook it can get heavy.

These are just a few suggestions for creating beautiful wall decor with living houseplants. The plants listed above are so easy to care for that the only real downside is having to wait for the vines to grow long. However, if you are willing to wait, they will definitely reward your patience with lush foliage and create a beautiful aesthetic in any room.