8 Indoor Hanging Plants That Like Full Sun, The Simple List
SHOP PLANT HANGER pictured in our online shop.
There are so many indoor hanging plants available for you to display around your home!
Most indoor hanging plants generally prefer bright, indirect light, but finding hanging plants that thrive in the direct sun exposure of a south facing window can pose the question, ‘what indoor hanging plants like the full sun?’
So in our helpful article, we will walk you through our selection of the best sun-loving hanging plants to bring a touch of calm to your living and working spaces.
What Indoor Hanging Plants Like Full Sun?
Let's Get Into The Details Of Each Hanging Plant
Air Plant (Tillandsia)
A stylish air plant can bring a sense of minimalism to your workspace or create a calm oasis in your home.
In general, most air plants should be kept out of direct sunlight, but some enjoy a sunnier spot than others.
Whether or not an air plant will thrive in direct sunlight entirely depends on the species of Tillandsia (the botanical name for air plants). For more on air plant care, click here.
Fuller Leaf Varieties Can Tolerate Full Sun
The easiest way to decide what air plant thrives best in full sunlight is by taking note of the kind of leaves it has.
Tillandsias with more wispy or finer leaves are probably best kept out of the full glare of the sun.
This type of air plant thrives best in bright filtered or indirect light.
Species of air plants that have a fuller, thicker leaf are more able to tolerate full sun near a south-facing window.
This is because a fuller air plant leaf holds moisture better and can better protect itself from direct sunlight or full sun.
Thin & Delicate vs. Hearty & Strong
Full Morning Sun Is Best
Morning sun is better for all plants, including indoor hanging styles such as air plants, rather than the full radiance of the afternoon sun.
The best way to think about how to make sure you have a happy and healthy air plant is to try to create a ‘rainforest’ type environment.
Most Air Plants Are Tropical
As most air plants are tropical the best temperature to keep them healthy is between 50-90 degrees.
In cooler months you may need to make sure your air plant has enough humidity and doesn't get dried out by your heater.
Best Air Plants For Full Sun
- Orthophytum
- Xerographica
- 'Maxima' sky plant
"Air plants that have fuller, thicker leaves are more able to tolerate full sun as opposed to air plants with thinner more delicate leaves."
Spider Plant
The spider plant is possibly one of the best-known and loved hanging plants.
It gets its name from its mini spider plant ‘babies’ which are created on longer stems and hang down from its pot or a ceiling suspended plant hanger like our Plant Hanger in Classic Shimmer.
These commonly known hanging plants love full sun and are native to the hotter southern and tropical areas of Africa.
They are one of the easiest plants to grow and keep healthy in a warm, sunny location.
Its attractive minimalist foliage can either be bright green or a variegated variety, with white and green stripes.
Spider Plants Grow Quickly
Spider Plants are fast growers, which is perfect for budding indoor hanging plant enthusiasts.
They will very quickly grow out of their pot, and in the meantime produce pretty small flower clusters which develop into the ‘spider babies’.
These mini me’s can then be re-potted as a brand new plant.
Spider plants will grow best if situated indoors, hanging near a sunny window at a temperature between 65°F and 90°F. (18 and 32°C)
For the healthiest spider plant, use a container such as a clay pot, or a spun aluminum pot that drains well, and make sure to add plenty of rich, well-draining potting soil.
String of Pearls
Also known as Senecio Rowleyanus is a popular hanging succulent. A String of Pearls is also a fast grower and can grow well indoors and well as outdoors.
A String of Pearls will thrive in a dry and warm environment and needs to be placed in a spot where it will receive bright sunlight for 6 to 8 hours a day. This houseplant will do really well near a South facing window but just make sure you keep it about 5 - 10 inches away from the window itself so this plant babe doesn't get a sunburn.
Wax Plant
Wax plants or (known by their Latin name of Hoya Carnosa) prefer to hang near windows with a southern exposure where they will receive a minimum of four to six hours of direct sunlight each day.
These hanging plants who love full sun have oval elongated style dark green leaves, while the 'variegata' variety has white or pale pink edges on its leaves.
When planting, make sure the soil is almost dry before adding more water to prevent root rot.
By leaving the flower stalk on the plant after it’s finished blooming there will be a production of new flowers on the old stem.
"For those wondering, 'what indoor hanging plants like full sun?' The Hoya Carnosa is one of the most attractive and easy to care for hanging houseplants that loves bright sunlight."
Ponytail Palm
This palm is an unusual quirky style of hanging plant and takes its name (aka Beaucarnea Recurvata) from its swollen trunk and its feathery foliage.
It’s a perfect plant for a sunny location such as a kitchen window, a bright family room, or workspace.
This palm likes to be looked after as any other succulent type. So pot in a coarse type soil then each week add a little sand and water.
Its bulb-type base stores water so ensure that you let the soil completely dry out before watering to avoid root rot.
It grows fairly slowly, as opposed to the spider plant so usually only requires re-potting once every two years or so.
Madagascar Jasmine
This beautiful hanging plant is often referred to as ‘bridal bouquet’. It's Latin name is Marsdenia Floribunda.
It has delicate white flowers which would look beautiful in your living or working space. These star-shaped flowers are gorgeously fragrant and are produced in the spring and summer months.
Madagascar Jasmine loves a south-facing window and exposure to full sun.
According to the Missouri Botanical Garden you should water and mist it regularly during the growing season while reducing watering in winter.
It has long stems, which have oval style thick dark green leaves around 4 inches long.
To keep it from growing too large, make sure its soil is kept moist and then prune it back a little in spring.
Burro’s Tail
Burro’s tail, or sometimes referred to as ‘donkey tail’ is native to southern Mexico and Honduras.
It is a succulent perennial which produces trailing stems that can be up to 60 cm long.
They have pink and red flowers in summer with blue-green foliage.
These plants are part of the succulent family and they can tolerate being without water for long periods and prefer hanging near a sunny south-facing window.
As with some styles of hanging air plants, Burro's tail has fleshy thick leaves which enables them to effectively retain water for fairly long periods.
Purple Heart Plants
Purple Heart Plants are often called Spider Lily Plants or to give them their botanical Italian name, Tradescantia Pallida 'Purpurea', love to live in hanging planters near a thrive in hanging planters in a south-facing window which gets direct sunlight.
These are attractive bright purple plants, which look amazing with neutral color schemes.
They have quite large purple leaves ( around 4 to 6 inches) and they produce clusters of tiny pink flowers in the summer. These flower stems can be removed from the plant when it finishes blooming.
If you occasionally pinch back the plant stems back, it will encourage the Purple Heart to produce new stems and leaves.
As with many other plants that enjoy full sun, the potting soil should be slightly dry on the surface before watering.
Tips To Consider When Hanging Indoor Plants In Full Sun
Although many of the hanging plants we’ve mentioned love full sun, it’s worth being a little cautious during the heat of the summer months.
Morning full sun is better and less harsh than the heat of a summer's afternoon, so check your plants for any significant wilting and move to a cooler place, out of direct sunlight if necessary.
And Finally…
Many of the plants listed above are typically from warmer climates around the world, and so don’t forget they need a warm climate and usually thrive best in a humid atmosphere.
Make sure you keep them warm in winter with temperatures around 50-59°F (10-15°C). Don’t forget to be careful not to leave them directly hanging above a hot radiator or by a drafty window.
Invest in a spray bottle/mister for spritzing water to increase the moisture in the air.
AND...don’t forget to check out our modern, minimal, and stylish range of hanging planters made from high quality hard woods and stainless steel. It's time to elevate the look of your plants.
