Vines are a beautiful kind of plant that add depth and beauty to many outdoor gardens. But did you know they can also make a beautiful accent to your home or apartment? While they may require a little more maintenance than your average indoor plant, with the proper care and the right environment, you can grow a thriving indoor vine that beautifully accents your home — and we’ll show you how!
Growing and training an indoor vine
As you start to grow your indoor climbing plant, it’s important to train the vine to climb or trail properly. If you’d like your new vine to double as a piece of wall decor, draping it over wall hooks or a small trellis is a great way to start training the vine as it grows. You could also place the vine near a canvas or photograph hanging on the wall if you like the look of leaves looping over your wall art.
You’ll also need to help guide the climbing plant where to go, whether that’s winding them around the next part of the trellis or setting them on the next hook along the wall. Hanging baskets are another low-maintenance option, in which the plant will just grow naturally downward and cascade. This will result in more of a trailing effect than climbing, but both are good ways to display vine houseplants.
Our favorite indoor vines
Because some vine plants take over more easily than others, you’ll find there are certain types that grow best in an indoor environment. These four types of vines will make a beautiful addition to any room of your home
String of pearls
The string of pearls plant is a variety of succulent that grows as a vine. They’re most often seen in hanging baskets because the beads of the plant cascade and flow beautifully over the edge, creating a lovely visual effect. Because this vine is technically a succulent, the string of pearls doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, although if you live in a cold climate, this may not be the plant for you, as it doesn’t tolerate the cold well.
If your hanging basket doesn’t have an attached drip tray (some do!), you’ll want to put some rocks or other material in the bottom that gives excess water a place to go. However, this will require you to adapt the watering method slightly, so if you aren’t as experienced with succulents, it’s best to skip the mess and find a hanging basket with a tray.
Watering: Use the soak and dry method. When the top inch or so of the soil is dry, soak the soil until the water starts to come out the bottom into the tray, then wait to water again until the soil is dry.
Light: Prefers strong natural light, but will burn if in direct sunlight, so placing your string of pearls plant near a south- or west-facing window is ideal.
String of hearts
The string of hearts gets its name from its (no surprise!) heart-shaped leaves. Because this one is more of a trailing vine than a climbing vine, it will look its best in a hanging basket or in a pot on a shelf where the stems have space to flow downward. The stems can grow anywhere from 6 to 13 feet long, and the hearts grow nicely spaced out along the plant to create a beautiful appearance.
Watering: Prefers the soak and dry watering method.
Light: Prefers heat and bright, indirect light. Doesn’t tolerate direct sunlight.
Pothos varieties
Pothos comes in many varieties, ranging from solid green to variegated. This type of vine houseplant can be grown as a trailing or climbing plant, depending on the look you want and the space you have. If you have room to help them climb along a wall, up a bookcase, or on a trellis, this plant is a great choice for adding a unique element.
Watering: These plants require their soil to dry out completely between waterings, so let the plant tell you when to water — when the vine starts to droop, it’s a good sign the soil is dried out and needs a refresher.
Light: Can survive in any light, but doesn’t grow as fast in lower lighting as they will in brighter, indirect lighting.
Ivy varieties
When you think of ivy, you may imagine it climbing the sides of brick buildings, but ivy is also a vine plant that thrives indoors. They can adapt to a variety of different environments and, similar to the pothos, can thrive as both a hanging basket plant or an indoor climbing plant.
Ivy varieties are hardy plants. They tolerate inconsistent watering well, and are a great way to recreate an outdoor feel inside your own space. Since they’re so hardy, they’re perfect for new houseplant owners — there isn’t a huge amount of pressure to keep the plant up, though it will still need pruning.
Prevent a takeover
As your indoor climbing plants grow, prune and pinch them to help encourage branching and fullness. Pinching (which is a method of pruning) involves removing growth as close to the leaf nodes as you can without damaging surrounding leaves. The plant will begin to grow new stems below where you made the cut, resulting in a fuller-looking vine. Without this, you may find that your vines become a bit leggy and don’t look as luscious as you’d like.
Keep in mind that the plants in your hanging baskets will need to be pruned, too! You may not be trying to keep them from taking over your whole room, but pruning and pinching will help them look and feel their best.
Vine houseplants are a beautiful, natural way to spruce up your space, and require little more than regular care and some training to make a big impact on your home. If you’re thinking about starting an indoor plant collection, or feel like your walls are just a bit too bare, give these vine-growing and care tips a try!
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