Great indoor vining plants

Including indoor vining plants in your houseplant collection will bring wildness into your home. Many types of plants shoot out vining stems to creep up a wall or bookcase, from delicate creeping figs to heavy monsters. This article includes recommendations for popular vining houseplants and expert tips on how to use them to make a room feel like an exotic indoor jungle.

1. Arrowhead Vine

Named for its distinctively shaped leaves, arrowroot vine (Sygonium podophyllym) is a fast-growing tropical vine that thrives as a houseplant. Give it plenty of bright, indirect light, consistently moist soil, and warm, humid conditions, and the vines will grow up to 6 feet tall. To give a room a dramatic jungle look, train it to grow a moss pole or a small trellis.

Arrowhead vine varieties come in many colors and shapes. For example, 'Pink Splash' has hot pink streaks on dark green leaves, and 'Snow White' has white spots on deep green leaves.

2. Climbing onions

The climbing onion (Bowiea volubilis) is not an onion, but it grows from a large bulbous stalk that resembles an onion sticking out of the soil, hence its name. The climbing onion is a member of the lily family native to South Africa. If you're looking for a plant to help you jump on the hortifuturism wave, this is a good choice because it looks like a Star Trek prop.

As an indoor vining plant, it thrives in practical neglect. If placed in direct sunlight and given a small trellis or moss stake, in late winter it will sprout lacy vines that climb up the support. It is small, with vines growing to about 16 inches in length. In autumn the vines die back and it goes dormant.

3. Creeping Fig

The creeping fig (Ficus pumila), also known as the climbing fig, is an indoor vining plant that is delicate but actually makes a sturdy houseplant—at least for a while. Even with the best care, climbing figs only last a few years, but you can use cuttings to start new plants.

Vinings are relatives of woody ficus species such as creeping figs, fiddle leaf figs and rubber plants. Plant it in a container or landscape, and vines of small, shiny, heart-shaped leaves mature into leathery, oval leaves. This avid climber pulls up a trellis. It prefers bright, indirect light, constant humidity and moist air.

4. English Ivy

If a cottage garden is more your style than a tropical jungle, consider English ivy (Hedera helix). It brings a classic look to a space, Green says.

"It's on the finicky side, but it's beautiful, has a clean shape, and it looks great with the brass accents," he adds. A variety of English ivy can bring colors other than green to a room. Train English ivy to grow on a small trellis or trellis for a sophisticated look. Choose small-leaved, slow-growing varieties that are easy to maintain in a pot and provide bright light.

5. Grape ivy

Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia) is an ancient, easy-to-grow vining plant. It can go days without water and looks great in hanging baskets or containers on shelves or plant stands. You can train its vines to grow on a trellis or moss pole. Place in medium to bright light, plant in well-drained soil, and water when it dries out. It grows vines up to 3 feet long.

6. Heartleaf Philodendron

Commonly known as the sweetheart plant, heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron heteraceum) is a popular indoor vining plant because it is easy to care for and fast growing. Its leaves are dark green when mature but bronze when first emerging from the stems; Variegated varieties have a two-tone effect on each leaf.

Heartleaf philodendron can grow vines 3 to 13 feet tall indoors when given optimal growing conditions. These include bright indirect light, consistently moist and well-drained soil, and humid conditions.