15 Types of Indoor Climbing Plants

Climbing plants make for an interesting display in your home or garden. They’re easy to grow, some of them put out flowers, while others can thrive even in low light conditions.

You can use vines and other climbing plants to cover up walls in your home, create elaborate displays or simply to have a cascading drape of greenery in your kitchen or living room.

Since there’s quite the variety to choose from, everyone can be pleased, no matter how choosy in their tastes.

Here are my top picks for indoor climbing and trailing plants:

Philodendron Scandens

The easily recognizable Heartleaf Philodendron is a prolific climber, especially when its care requirements are met — bright, indirect light and watering whenever the topsoil starts to feel dry to the touch.

The Heartleaf philodendron is widely available and easy to source. It happily climbs but also hangs if planted in a hanging basket.

If you want to train it to climb up on a wall, a pole, or you can train it to climb other support structures in your home.

Maidenhair Vine

With densely growing wiry stems that create a thick foliage drape, the Maidenhair Vine is one of the trailing plants that easily lends itself to climbing on a trellis or moss pole.

The small, rounded leaves are densely packed, creating a lacy, delicate appearance. For best results, keep this plant in bright, but indirect light.

Keep the soil moist, but don’t overwater. Water whenever the top soil starts to dry out. To prevent root rot issues, plant in a well-draining potting mix that will not compact or become too saturated with water.

String of Pearls

Another delicate-looking trailing plant, the String of Pearls certainly lives up to its name. It’s a succulent-type plant that features hanging stems adorned with bead-like leaves.

They’re a low maintenance plant that enjoys bright, indirect light and well-draining soil. Watering can be an issue because the plant is sensitive to overwatering.

Simply allow the topsoil to dry before you water again, and you’ll avoid root rot and other fungal issues caused by too much water.

This plant also produces interesting blooms that are cinnamon scented. String-of-pearls bloom in spring and the blooming period can last for 1 month.

String of Turtles (Peperomia Prostrata)

Another interesting trailing plant that can be trained to grow on a support structure to maximize its decorative use, is the String of Turtles.

The thin stems of the plant are dotted with round-shaped leaves with a pattern on the top side that reminds of the gray-green pattern on turtle shells.

It enjoys loamy, moist soil, rich in organics such as those based on peat. A peaty soil will also help avoid overwatering issues.

Avoid keeping this plant in full sun and aim for a bright spot, but one where the plant won’t be in direct light.

String of Hearts

Another indoor trailing plant that can be trained to climb on a trellis, the String of Hearts features vining stems that carry green-grey, heart-shaped leaves.

You can grow these in a hanging basket or in a normal pot placed on a top shelf to allow the stems to pour out on the sides of the pot.

The vines of the String of Hearts can grow to become 6 to 12 feet long. You can easily snip them back to keep them small and tidy.

Like many other indoor plants, this too requires bright indirect light and water when the upper layer of the soil is dry.

Jasmine Plant

A true climber, the Jasmine plant (Jasminum polyanthum) can be grown indoors, although it may not be the easiest one from this list.

The difficulty in growing it indoors stems from the fact that this plant requires some direct light, so position it near a south-facing window for optimal light exposure.

You should keep the soil of the Jasmine plant damp but not watery. With proper care, the plant will put out white or pink flowers that can fill up a room with their sweet scent.

To help the plant climb and grow upwards, make sure to provide a trellis.

Ivy Plant

There are quite a few ivy plants that you can keep as houseplants including the English Ivy, Japanese Ivy,  and Irish Ivy.

The English ivy is the most common in households because of their excellent climbing abilities and low maintenance.

The vines can grow to become as long as 50 feet, although this is probably not something you’re angling for indoors. But don’t worry, it’s not a fast-growing plant, especially not in its first year.

Ivy plants do best in organically rich soil and need bright light. They aren’t fond of humid soils, so keep them on a dry side.

Monstera Plant

If you want a more sizable plant with larger leaves to fill out an empty space in your home, you can count on aroids like the Monstera.

Provide a moss pole or other structure they can climb on, and they’ll jump right up on it with pleasure.

Provide bright, indirect light and water moderately and evenly. Water only when the topsoil dries, so that you don’t accidentally overwater.

Because they’re tropical plants, they enjoy the occasional misting and higher humidity levels than your average houseplant.

Arrowhead Plant

With a propensity to creep rather than climb, it’s still a plant to consider if you want to cover up a wall or simply have a plant dangling on the side of an upper shelf.

Its leaves are arrow-shaped and some cultivars are variegated, which adds even more to the plant’s decorative touch.

Although this plant thrives in bright, indirect light, it adapts to medium light conditions as well.

Teddy Bear Vine

Teddy Bear Vine – Cyanotis Beddomei Flickr

Another trailing plant that’s worth noting is the Teddy Bear Vine that features fuzzy, silvery leaves on creeping stems. The undersides are maroon or light burgundy, which results in a touch of color in the foliage.

Best for hanging baskets, provide the teddy bear vine bright, indirect light and don’t allow the soil to completely dry out.

Wax Plant (Hoya Carnosa)

The Hoya Carnosa is a succulent-like climbing and trailing plant with waxy elongated green leaves.

The leaves feature silver splotches on the top side that match beautifully with the white flowers with star-shaped petals that the plant produces.

You can train the wax plant to climb trellises, you can grow it in a hanging basket, or allow it to trail off a shelf. Either way, it makes for a lovely and friendly houseplant.

Wandering Jew (Tradescantia Zebrina)

Grow it in a hanging basket or allow it to trail off the side of a shelf, the Spiderwort plant as it’s also known, features creeping stems and blade-shaped leaves that feature light-colored stripes along the length of the leaves.

There are many variations and color combinations, so you’ll have some options to choose from if you decide to go for the Tradescantia plant.

Rex Begonia Vine

This climbing houseplant features heart-shaped leaves with a silver pattern on the top side and burgundy red undersides.

It can reach a height of 6-10 feet and grows well in part shade to full shade, which means that if your indoors don’t get the bright light the other vines in this list need, you can have an out with the Rex Begonia Vine.

It’s a low maintenance plant that enjoys medium moisture, but a well-drained potting mix to prevent potential overwatering issues.

Devil’s Ivy (Pothos)

It’s a versatile vine that lends itself to a variety of uses including climbing up a wall, growing in a hanging basket, and growing on a mantelpiece or shelf.

Although its name is suggestive enough, it’s worth mentioning that the Devil’s ivy is not afraid of the dark. In fact, it embraces low light corners and thrives in them without problems.

Although its watering needs are light, it does need quite a bit of humidity to thrive. Mist it occasionally or move it to a location where humidity is naturally higher, such as a bathroom or a kitchen.

Climbing Aloe

A rare Aloe variety, Aloe Ciliaris, this plant is a succulent with a climbing growth pattern. It produces thin stems and leaves, covered in soft hairs.

Because the leaves grow in a hook-shaped pattern, it allows the plant to anchor itself to nearby vegetation or even trees. Indoors, it will do the same with any structure that’s placed near the plant.

However, as a typical succulent, this aloe needs full sun to thrive, so either place it in a sunny window or keep it outdoors during the summer.

It even produces large, orange-red flowers that can appear from November to April.

Wrap-Up

Climbing and trailing plants are an excellent way to create a display of greenery to brighten up a space or to cover up walls and other spaces in your home.

Whether you grow them for the interesting foliage or their impressive blooms, creeping plants are generally uncomplicated in their care requirements and suitable for most skill levels.

While most enjoy bright light, some will thrive even in low light conditions. Very few need full sun or any direct light exposure.