Indoor hanging plant pots - best picks

I have about forty plants in a one-bed flat and almost none of them are on the floor. Here is what I would actually buy for hanging indoors, and why.

Decide the fixing before the pot

The pot is the easy part. What holds it up is the part that fails.

Work from the weight of the pot immediately after watering — saturated compost roughly doubles the dry weight. Then fix into a joist or a properly rated plasterboard anchor. A hook in bare plasterboard will come out, eventually, usually onto something.

Macrame hangers

The obvious pick, and it earns it. The load spreads across several cords and a solid ring rather than one point, and it suits almost any round-bottomed pot you already own.

A macrame hanger is what I use most. Two things to check: that the top ring is a proper metal or wooden ring rather than a loop of the same cord, and that your pot is round rather than straight-sided, because a straight-sided pot can slip through the cradle once it is heavy.

Woven and natural fibre planters

Lovely, and they need a liner.

A braided jute planter will rot if wet compost sits against it week after week. Put the plant in a plastic nursery pot inside and lift that out to water. Check the cords once a year — natural fibre weakens with age, and this one is over your head.

A straw basket works the same way and weighs almost nothing empty, which leaves more of your weight allowance for compost.

Hanging shelves

My favourite trick in a small flat. One ceiling fixing, several plants.

A swing shelf holds three or four small pots and moves slightly, which forgives a fixing that is not perfectly placed. It also lets you use ordinary pots rather than buying special hanging ones.

What to hang

Trailers, because you look at them from below.

• Pothos. The easiest plant in the world and it trails for metres.
• String of hearts. Fine, delicate, needs good light.
• Spider plant. Throws out babies that dangle, which is the whole point.
• Trailing philodendron. Tolerates low light better than most.
• Ferns in a bathroom, where the humidity suits them.

Upright plants look awkward overhead and are harder to water without taking them down.

The watering problem

The reason people stop using hanging pots. Overhead pots drip, and a chair is not a safe place to water from.

A pulley lowers the pot to a sensible height and raises it again, which is the proper answer. A long-spout can reaches a fair way. And a pot with a built-in reservoir cuts how often you need to bother — the self-watering guide covers how those work.

Where to hang them

In front of a window rather than beside it, where the light is best and nothing else can use the space. Above a doorway. In a corner, above a plant already on the floor, so the corner is stacked rather than filled.

Not directly over a sofa, a bed or anything you would mind dripping on.

Browse the hanging range, and the vertical garden guide covers walls rather than ceilings. There is more in the small-space pillar guide, and the shelf guide if the ceiling is out of the question.

The short version

• Choose the fixing before the pot; weigh the pot wet, and never use bare plasterboard.
• Macrame spreads the load across several cords and suits round-bottomed pots.
• Natural fibre planters need a plastic liner and an annual check of the cords.
• A hanging shelf gives several plants from one ceiling fixing.
• Hang trailers, not uprights, and never over a sofa or bed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best indoor hanging plant pot?

It depends on the fixing you can make. A macrame hanger suits any round pot you already own and spreads the load well. A hanging shelf gives several plants from one ceiling fixing. Woven planters look best but need a liner.

How much weight can a hanging plant pot take?

The limit is set by the fixing rather than the pot. Work from the pot's weight immediately after watering, since wet compost roughly doubles the dry weight, and fix into a joist or a properly rated plasterboard anchor.

Which plants are best for hanging pots?

Trailing ones, because you view them from below: pothos, string of hearts, spider plants and trailing philodendron. Ferns work well in a humid bathroom. Upright plants look awkward overhead and are harder to water in place.

How do I water a hanging plant without making a mess?

A pulley lets you lower the pot to a comfortable height and raise it again, which is far safer than balancing on a chair. Long-spout cans reach a fair way, and a pot with a reservoir reduces how often you need to water at all.

Do hanging baskets made of jute need lining?

Yes. Jute, seagrass and straw all rot when wet compost sits against them, and the cords weaken with age. Use a plastic nursery pot inside, lift it out to water, and inspect the cords once a year since the whole thing is overhead.