8 Gorgeous Ways to Decorate with Trailing Plants Indoors and Out

Use these creative ideas to instantly elevate your space with trailing plants.

Published on March 4, 2026

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

Take the elegance of a chandelier, add the calming quality of greenery, and you'll understand why plants with cascading foliage are more popular than ever. But you can do more with trailing plants than hang a basket and call it a day. These 8 creative display ideas for trailing plants bring extra drama to indoor and outdoor spaces alike.

Two to Tangle

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

For maximum drama, fill a basket with two plants that intertwine luxuriantly as they grow. In this full-sun outdoor container, we’ve mixed a rex begonia vine—whose heart-shape leaves are silver and green on one side and burgundy on the other—with bright green ‘Goldilocks’ creeping Jenny. Trim the creeping Jenny as needed and gently tuck some of the begonia stems back onto themselves to fill out the top of the container.

Cascade of Flowers

Credit:

Adam Albright

In spring and summer, it's hard to resist those baskets overflowing with petunias that you see all over garden centers. So why not triple down on them? Hang a trio of baskets with petunias in various colors at different heights to create a floriferous chandelier above a porch table. We used ‘Original Wave’ petunias repotted in matching baskets.

Waterfall Effect

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

A waterfall of green may be just the thing your outdoor porch needs. Hang baskets on the wall, then nestle plants sideways so their foliage spills down and out; ‘Sunburst’ lysimachia is a good pick since it grows aggressively even in a small vessel. To prevent leggy growth, be sure the plants get plenty of bright, indirect light and pinch off tips occasionally.

Dynamic Duo

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

When considering plant pairings, a good rule of thumb is to coordinate colors and contrast textures. This full-sun outdoor container stars a wandering dude vine with bold purple, green, and silver foliage. ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra lightens things up with its shimmery, delicate leaves.

Star Power

Credit:

Adam Albright

Pick one showy trailer, like this orange ‘Bossa Nova’ begonia, and then build up around it. In this container, sweet potato vine and trailing silvery dichondra lend extra texture and contrast. It makes for such an abundance display that you don't even need a special-looking container; the plants will quickly fill out and hide it.

Green Streak

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

Group trailing plants by a sunny window for a maximalist jungle-lush look indoors—just be sure to vary the foliage shapes for visual balance. Here, the needlelike leaves of a mistletoe cactus and the zigzag foliage of a fishbone cactus on the top shelf add an architectural look. Beneath, ‘Black Pagoda’ lipstick plant is flush with dark green waxy leaves. Hanging, a variegated pothos might be the easiest vine you’ll ever grow.

Changing Landscape

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen

The foliage in this outdoor combo holds its own throughout the year. In late spring, ‘Yellow Zebra’ variegated potato vine sports small white flowers. From summer through fall, light pink bracts drip like jewelry from fragrant ‘Kent Beauty’ oregano. (The potato vine is an equal opportunity climber; you can train it to also twist up the ropes.)

Wall Art

Credit:

Adam Albright

For a big blank wall indoors or out, try making a graphic statement with a series of modern containers. If you're recreating this look on a porch, choose plants that love the shade and spill over the side with different textures and colors (‘Waterfall’ blue lobelia, ‘Breathless’ euphorbia, maidenhair fern, and hostas are shown here). For an indoor space, you might opt for houseplants like trailing peperomia and string of turtles.