Potted succulents on the counter do look lovely, but these hanging succulents will take your interior decor game to a whole new level!
With their cascading foliage and trailing vines that often reach several feet, these hanging succulents will effortlessly hide any unsightly spots on your wall or simply greenify that dull nook of your house!
Best Hanging Succulents
1. Burro’s Tail
Botanical Name: Sedum burrito
Looking for an uber-cool succulent with great foliage and a low-maintenance nature? Well, the Burro’s Tail won’t disappoint! It is often confused with the Donkey Tail succulent due to those mini plump leaves covering its short trailing stems and its pale green color with a subtle velvety texture.
2. Calico Kitten
Botanical Name: Crassula pellucida ‘Variegated’
The variegated variety of this beauty showcases heart-shaped leaves splotches with cream, green, and pink-purple margins. Despite its compact, mat-forming growing habit, it has trailing stems that can reach up to 12 inches long, thus looking sublime cascading down a planter or a hanging basket.
Give it bright, indirect light and watch pretty white flowers bloom at the end of its succulent stems!
3. Christmas Cactus
Botanical Name: Schlumbergera bridgesii
No wonder the Christmas Cactus is a popular choice for the holiday season, thanks to its beautiful flowers that bloom around Christmas time, giving it the name.
Perfect for hanging planters or even centerpieces, they make for an amazing display with their segmented cascading leaves, which are mostly green but also sometimes show a purplish tint.
4. Cliff Cotyledon
Botanical Name: Cotyledon pendens
Initially, the cliff cotyledon is a somewhat mat-forming succulent, but as it matures, it develops trailing stems that can grow up to 2 feet long. Its leaves are fuzzy and egg-shaped, displaying a dull gray-green color, frequently adorned with reddish tips and edges.
Also known as “little cliff bells,” the Cliff Cotyledon showcases gorgeous showy, bell-shaped flowers in pink or red that hang from the end of its drooping stems.
5. Fishbone Cactus
Botanical Name: Epiphyllum anguliger
This trailing succulent gets its name from its thin, green leaves, which, because of their deep, wavy margins, resemble the shape of a fishbone. The fishbone cactus can grow about 2-4 feet long, making it an interesting focal point trailing down over elevated planters.
6. Jade Necklace
Botanical Name: Crassula marnierana
Don’t mistake the Jade Necklace for a variety of Jade Plants! The slow-growing Jade necklace has closely packed leaves over trailing stems, giving them the appearance of thick strands of gemstones. Each leaf is round to slightly square-shaped, displaying a light green hue with vibrant red edges.
The plant’s cascading growth pattern allows it to trail downwards and curl upwards, resembling a snake, earning it the nickname of “worm plant.”
7. Jelly Bean Plant
Botanical Name: Sedum rubrotinctum
With small, glossy green leaves growing on stems that trail downwards before curving upward, the Jelly Bean plant is also popular as “pork and beans” or the “Christmas cheer.”
Besides showcasing star-shaped yellow flowers, the bean-shaped leaves also take on a pink or red tint when exposed to sun for long periods.
8. Mistletoe Cactus
Botanical Name: Rhipsalis baccifera
Nicknamed “mouse tail,” “spaghetti cactus,” and “currant cactus,” the Mistletoe cactus boasts elongated, leafless stems that can sprawl up to an impressive 5 feet as it matures.
For an eye-catching display, allow its cascading tendrils to drape over hanging baskets or elevated pots, where they may even take on a reddish hue when basking in sunlight.
9. Monkey’s Tail
Botanical Name: Cleistocactus colademononis
The monkey’s tail, which is drooping and cylindrical and covered in golden or brown spines, can grow to eight feet or longer! As the plant matures, its white, hair-like spines lend it a furry appearance.
With its rapid growth rate, this succulent is an ideal candidate for any elevated plant basket.
10. Peanut Cactus
Botanical Name: Echinopsis chamaecereus
Although the peanut cactus’s stems resemble the Monkey’s tail to quite an extent, they are not as hairy. In fact, the Peanut Cactus boasts peanut-shaped stems adorned with short, white bristles.
As it matures, its stems trail gracefully, showcasing vibrant red and orange flowers along the edges of hanging containers, especially when exposed to ample sunlight.
11. Rattail Cactus
Botanical Name: Disocactus flagelliformis
Sporting slender, trailing stems that can extend up to five feet, the Rattail Cactus features bristle-like spines ranging from brown to yellow. Its long, cascading tendrils make it an ideal choice for hanging baskets, where it can display its striking bright pink to red flowers with aplomb.
12. Ruby Necklace
Botanical Name: Othonna capensis
As visually striking as it is low-maintenance, the Ruby Necklace is a standout choice for hanging succulents. With its trailing stems adorned with small, ruby-red leaves resembling precious rubies strung together, this plant lends an air of elegance to any space.
13. String of Bananas
Botanical Name: Senecio radicans
Adding an interesting touch to any space, this string plant features its signature cascading vines lined with banana-shaped leaves. Perfect for adorning home or office spaces, whether in a macrame planter or atop a shelf, this low-maintenance succulent also won’t mind you being a busy plant lover!
14. String of Pearls
Botanical Name: Senecio rowleyanus
As one of the most sought-after trailing succulents, the String of Pearls boasts slender stems extending up to two feet long, adorned with water-storing leaves.
Apart from its adaptability to various environments, the white fuzzy flowers exuding a subtle vanilla-cinnamon fragrance add to its pros.
15. String of Buttons
Botanical Name: Crassula perforata
Getting its name from the button-shaped leaves stacked one over the other, the String of Buttons has quite a unique appearance, which makes it all the more alluring when trailing down an elevated planter.
Being relatively low-maintenance, the String of Buttons thrives best in well-draining soil under bright, indirect light.
16. String of Dolphins
Botanical Name: Curio × peregrinus
Uniqueness defines the String of Dolphins, as the shape of its leaves looks exactly like a pod of small, leaping dolphins. This succulent’s curved, pointed, dolphin-shaped leaves, featured over trailing stems complete with white and pink flowers, create a whimsical display in any hanging planter on your porch, patio, or deck.
17. Variegated String of Hearts
Botanical Name: Ceropegia woodii Variegata
A delightful variation of the classic String of Hearts, this trailing succulent features delicate heart-shaped leaves with variegations in green and white. This unique variegation makes it an ideal choice for trailing down hanging containers, or even macrame planters for a boho display.
18. String of Nickels
Botanical Name: Dischidia nummularia
The String of Nickels is a climbing epiphyte, boasting vines adorned with small, almost perfectly round leaves in a pale olive green hue. Grow it in a hanging basket, exposing it to bright indirect light or dappled shade for that lush look.
19. Donkey’s Tail Plant
Botanical Name: Sedum morganianum
This popular hanging succulent with long, trailing stems covered in plump, fleshy, and cylindrical leaves resembles the tail of a donkey. Plus, those beautiful blue-green leaves have a slightly powdery texture, which adds to their charm.
20. Trailing Jade
Botanical Name: Peperomia rotundifolia
The penultimate on this list, the trailing jade, is quite a different species than the jade (Crassula ovata), but can well be compared to it because of its somewhat similar appearance. With a spread of about 20 inches, it features mini rounded green leaves growing around trailing purple stems.
21. Ruby Cascade
Botanical Name: Peperomia graveolens
This beauty features fleshy, deep green leaves that are ruby red underneath, creating a beautiful contrast. It is a semi-succulent plant, which means it stores water in its leaves and won’t mind if you leave it at any high-held spot that’s not so frequently visited.
22. Wax Ivy
Botanical Name: Senecio macroglossus
Popular as Natal Ivy or Variegated Wax Vine, it is a robust yet versatile houseplant that mimics the look of traditional ivies but has succulent qualities. Its leaves are thick, waxy, and often heart-shaped with a glossy finish, and can come in variegated shades of green and yellow.
