Quick answer: Hanging plant pots free up floor space and suit trailing plants such as pothos, string of pearls and spider plants. Use a fixing rated for the full watered weight, choose pots with a built-in reservoir or drip tray, and water little and often, because small hanging pots dry out fastest of all.
When you have no floor to spare, hanging plant pots are how you get yourself a jungle anyway. I am Jordan, a graphic designer renting a one-bed flat in Walthamstow, and I have precisely one windowsill and an unreasonable amount of ambition. Over a few years I have learned to grow up walls, off ceilings and along shelves, and this guide is the whole playbook for anyone whose square footage keeps firmly saying no.
The trick to small-space greenery is to stop staring at the floor and start eyeing up every other surface in the room. Walls, rails, ceilings, shelves. All of it free real estate the previous tenant never touched. Here is how to use the lot.
Go Up: Hanging Pots
A hanging pot pulls the eye upward, which makes a low ceiling feel taller and a cramped room feel like it can breathe. It is the single best move for a small flat, and it costs about the price of a takeaway.
- Macrame hangers turn any pot into a hanging one and add lovely soft texture into the bargain. The macrame pot hanger is a renter's best friend because it asks for only a single hook.
- Ceiling hooks are usually landlord-friendly when they are small and filled afterward. One hook, one trailing plant, and a bare corner comes alive.
- Trailing plants like pothos, ivy and string-of-hearts were born for this, spilling downward instead of hogging width.
Browse the hanging pots range for ready-made designs, then pick trailing plants to suit.
Go Sideways: Walls and Rails
Walls are the biggest untapped surface in any home, and most of us leave them staring blankly at us for years. You do not always need to drill, either.
- Vertical planters stack greenery up a wall in a single unit. The wall of green vertical planter packs a surprising number of plants into very little wall.
- Rail and balcony planters hook straight over a railing with no fixings at all, which is a small miracle for renters and balconies.
- Command-style hooks and tension systems hang light pots without a single hole, so your deposit lives to fight another day.
Use What Floor You Do Have: Stands
Where you have a scrap of floor, a stand quietly multiplies it. A plant on a stand lifts greenery to eye level and lets you tuck a second plant underneath, two for the footprint of one.
- Plant stands raise a single statement plant and add a mid-height layer to a room. See the pots with stands range.
- Tiered stands and shelves turn one square foot of floor into a home for five or six pots.
- Pair stands with small pots so the whole thing stays light and easy to shuffle about. The small pots range is ideal for this.
Shelves: The Small-Space Classic
A shelf is a garden turned on its side. My formula, worn smooth over years of styling my own:
- A trailing plant at one end to soften the edge and add a bit of movement.
- A cluster of small pots grouped in odd numbers, never a stiff matched pair.
- One object that is not a plant, a book or a candle, so it reads as a styled shelf rather than a garden centre display.
There is more room-by-room styling in my indoor plant pots styling guide if you want to push the whole room further.
Watering When Everything Is Up High
The one honest downside of hanging and wall pots is that watering gets fiddly, and small pots up high dry out fast in a warm room. A few habits keep it painless:
- Take the pot down to water where you can, over a sink, then rehang it once it has drained.
- Use a small-spouted can for the pots you cannot easily reach.
- Group thirsty plants together so watering is one quick job, not a ten-stop tour of the flat.
The Royal Horticultural Society note that small containers dry out quickest of all, so frequent checking matters most for the little pots up on shelves and hooks (RHS, watering containers). Indoor greenery is also one of the simplest ways to make a small home feel calmer and more welcoming, something Gardeners' World highlight regularly (Gardeners' World, houseplants).
Hanging options compared
| Option | Weight when watered | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Macrame hanger with ceramic pot | Medium to heavy | Ceiling hooks in living rooms |
| Plastic hanging basket | Light | Porches, balconies, strawberries |
| Wall-mounted pot or bracket | Light to medium | Rented homes, narrow hallways |
| Rail or balcony planter | Medium | Railings and balustrades |
| Tiered stand of small pots | Heavy overall | Corners where floor space allows |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hang plant pots without drilling holes? Yes. Rail and balcony planters hook over railings with no fixings, and adhesive hooks or tension poles hold light pots without a single hole, which makes them ideal for renters.
What plants are best for hanging pots? Trailing plants such as pothos, ivy, string-of-hearts and spider plants. They spill downward rather than outward, so they add greenery without taking up any width.
How do I stop small hanging pots drying out? Check them often, as small pots high up in a warm room dry fastest. Where you can, take the pot down to water it thoroughly over a sink, and group thirsty plants together to make watering one quick job.
About the author Jordan Clifton - Big plant dreams, tiny London flat Jordan is a graphic designer renting a one-bed flat in Walthamstow with barely a windowsill to spare. Refusing to let square footage stop them, they have turned shelves, walls and ceilings into a jungle. They share small-space setups with a growing community of fellow flat-dwellers online. Writing for Potty for Plant Pots.