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The Best Hanging & Trailing Succulents
Succulents can be fantastic hanging plants indoors and outdoors if the right species are chosen. Some succulents will perform better in hanging baskets/pots than others and not all succulents will grow indoors. The trick is to get the right plant for the spot.
Are Succulents Good Hanging Plants
Many succulents are good hanging plants, but not all. It is important that the right succulents are chosen for hanging pots. There are trailing succulents that grow too fast for a pot and do not like being rootbound. This can cause ‘ratty’ looking plants losing many leaves and have a lot of stem showing.
Some of these fast growing plants are Aptenia Cordifolia, Oscularia Deloites, Various pigface succulents, Senecio Serpens varieties. The best place for fast growers is the ground or a very large pot, but they are likely to suffer in smaller hanging pots for extended periods. They will, however hang over a wall/down a rockery if they are planted in the ground.
Can Succulents Hang Outside
Succulents can hang outside. In fact, all succulents will grow better outdoors than indoors but they need to have the right spot. Not all succulents are created equal and some will like being in the sun, while others prefer shade.
How well succulents grow outside will also depend on where in the world you are. In cold climates, succulents will need to be brought inside/in a greenhouse as the great majority of succulents are not frost tolerant. In warm climates where temperatures can easily go over 35C/95F, the hanging succulents in pots will need afternoon shade in summer or, protection from strong sun during heatwaves.
Best Outdoor Hanging Succulents
- Sedum Rubrotinctum
- Graptopveria Starburst
- Graptopetalum Paraguayense
- Graptosedum Vera Higgins
- Echinopsis Chamaecereus
- Disocactus Flagelliformis
- Sedum Clavatum
- Schlumbergera Truncata
- Orostachys Iwarenge
- Sedum Morganium
- Othonna Capensis
- Senecio Rowleyanus/Radicans/Herreianus
These succulents are fabulous, hardy and inexpensive hanging/trailing plants that will tolerate being in confined space of a hanging pot for years. They will grow best in morning sun-afternoon shade, except for the Senecio at the bottom of the list- they prefer full but bright shade. The Senecio are perfect for covered veranda or shaded parts of the garden.
Can Succulents Hang Inside
A few select species of succulents can also hang inside. Unfortunately, the list is not too big as many succulents will struggle growing indoors, unless you have plant growing lights or a sunroom.
Indoor hanging succulents will need a bright spot and a bit of extra care with the watering. It is best the potting mix is left to dry out between waterings.
Best Indoor Hanging Succulents
- Ceropegia Woodii
- Peperomia Prostrata
- Rhipsalis Cereuscula (and other Rhipsalis)
- Selenicereus Chrysocardium
- Lepismium Bolivianum
How Fast Do Trailing Succulents Grow
Trailing succulents will always grow slower in pots. If they are, however, re-potted regularly (once a year) into a bigger pot they will grow a lot faster than plants kept in the same pot for long periods of time. Basically, larger the pot, faster your plant will grow.
The plants listed above grow quite fast and can easily double in size in a couple of months during spring & summer. It can be a bit difficult repotting a plant that is hanging and so planting them in big pots from the start will allow for them to stay in the same pot for many years.
Succulents indoors are not going to grow fast unless they are in a superbly bright spot. It is advisable to buy advanced plants if the aim is to have them in the house as the growth will slow right down and not much will happen.
A little bit of a slow release fertilizer sprinkled on top of the potting mix every spring will help speed things up a bit but once the hanging succulents have filled the pot with roots, they will not grow much.
Trailing Succulents For The Garden
Trailing succulents planted in the ground will grow the fastest and can cover large areas just over one growing season.
Pretty much all of the above mentioned plants and many more succulents can be planted to trail in the garden and as long as there are no frosts, they will grow year on year.
To grow trailing succulents in the garden successfully the area should be on a bit of slope so it does not get waterlogged during heavy rains.
We have another article on best groundcover succulents here.