Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces: 15 Plants That Thrive Indoors

Okay, real talk. I wanted plants in my house. Badly. But I live in an 800-square-foot apartment with two kids, a dog, and exactly zero floor space. My windowsills are already crowded with the stuff I can’t get rid of. So I did what any reasonable person does: I stared at my walls and thought, “huh. Those are just sitting there.”

That’s how I got into vertical gardening. And um, it was a mess at first. I bought these fancy wall planters that leaked all over my curtains. Lost $40. But then I figured it out. And now? My walls are basically a jungle. A calm, intentional, slightly chaotic jungle that didn’t break the bank.

First, let’s talk about why vertical gardening is perfect for small spaces. It’s simple. You grow up instead of out. You use wall space, not floor space. But here’s the thing: not all plants are cut out for this life. Some need floor space. Some need specific light. Some will just… die. And I refuse to kill another plant.

So I made a list. Fifteen plants that actually thrive in vertical setups. And I’m going to tell you about them. But first, the setup itself.

I started with a simple ladder shelf from Target. It was $25. Leaned it against a wall in my living room. Put some small pots on the rungs. Done. That’s it. That’s the “vertical garden.” No drilling. No complicated irrigation system. Just a ladder and some plants.

If you want something more permanent, I get it. I did too eventually. I installed some pegboard in my kitchen. It’s white. Blends right in. I hung little pots from it with S-hooks. The whole thing cost me $30 at Home Depot. The pegboard was $15. The hooks were $5. The plants? I already had them.

But let’s get to the plants. Because that’s what you actually care about.

Number one: pothos. Everyone says pothos. And yeah, they’re right. Pothos will grow anywhere. Literally. I have one in my bathroom that gets zero natural light. It’s thriving. I water it when I remember. It’s still thriving. They’re the ultimate beginner plant. Get a trailing one for your vertical setup and watch it cascade.

Number two: spider plant. My mom had these. I remember them as a kid. They’re back. And they’re perfect for vertical gardens. They grow fast. They make baby spider plants. You can propagate them. It’s like free plants. I have three spider plants now, all from the original one I bought for $8.

Number three: philodendron. Not the heartleaf kind. The ones with the bigger leaves. They add texture. They grow like weeds. I have a pink princess philodendron in my vertical setup. It’s my fancy plant. I paid $25 for it. But everything else? Under $10.

Number four: snake plant. We talked about these. Indestructible. Perfect for vertical gardens because they don’t need water. I have one in a tall pot on the bottom rung of my ladder. It looks cool. It stays alive. What more do you want?

Number five: ZZ plant. This one is my secret weapon. It looks like it belongs in a modern office. It grows slow. It doesn’t need water. I water mine once a month. Maybe. It’s been in my vertical garden for a year. Still looks great.

Number six: peace lily. These are pretty. They have white flowers. They tell you when they need water by drooping. I like that. It’s low maintenance in a way. I can’t forget to water it because it literally flops over. Then I water it. It perks up. Simple.

Number seven: rubber plant. This one has big, glossy leaves. It adds drama. I have a small one in my vertical setup. It’s growing fast. I need to prune it soon. But it’s so easy. Water when the soil is dry. That’s it.

Number eight: dracaena. The marginata kind. It has those red edges on the leaves. It’s colorful without being overwhelming. I have one in my kitchen vertical garden. It gets some light from the window. It’s happy.

Number nine: Chinese evergreen. This one has silver on the leaves. It looks fancy. It’s not. It’s actually really easy. I have one in a low-light spot. It’s doing fine. They like humidity, so if you have a bathroom with a window, perfect.

Number ten: cast iron plant. The name says it all. Tough as nails. I have one in my entryway. It gets hit by the door sometimes. It doesn’t care. It’s still green. Still growing. Still perfect.

Number eleven: burro’s tail. This one is tricky. It’s a succulent. It has long trailing stems. It looks amazing in a vertical setup. But it hates water. I killed my first one. My second one? I water it maybe once every three weeks. It’s thriving. The trick is less water, more light.

Number twelve: string of pearls. This one is cute. It looks like a string of green beads. It’s a succulent. It trails beautifully. I have it in a hanging pot from my pegboard. It’s my favorite. But again, don’t overwater. I learned that the hard way.

Number thirteen: air plants. These are weird. They don’t need soil. You just mist them. I have three of them in my vertical garden. They cost $5 each. They last forever. I forget about them for weeks. They’re fine. It’s magic.

Number fourteen: ferns. Boston ferns. They need humidity. They need light. They’re a bit high maintenance. But they look so lush. I have one in my bathroom. It gets steam from the shower. It’s happy. If you don’t have a bathroom with a window, maybe skip this one.

Number fifteen: succulents. Any succulent. Echeveria. Jade plant. Whatever. They need light. They need little water. They’re perfect for vertical gardens because they’re small. I have a whole row of them on my ladder shelf. They look like a little garden.

Now, about the containers. Because you can’t just put them in any pot. Well, actually, you can. But if you want them to last, think about drainage. I learned this the hard way. I put a plant in a pot without drainage holes. It died. Root rot. Sad.

So get pots with drainage. Or put a layer of rocks at the bottom. Or just be really careful about watering. I do a combination. I have some pots with drainage. Some without. I just water less in the ones without.

For my wall setup, I use these self-watering planters. They’re $8 each at Amazon. They have a reservoir. The plant drinks what it needs. I fill them once a month. It’s genius. I don’t have to worry about overwatering.

But here’s my stance: don’t get too fancy. I see these vertical garden systems that cost $200. They have irrigation. They’re beautiful. But you don’t need them. You really don’t. A ladder shelf and some pots? That’s enough.

I also want to talk about light. Because this is crucial. My living room gets light from one window. That’s it. So I got a grow light. It’s a little LED strip. I clipped it to the top of my ladder shelf. It was $15. It runs maybe two hours a day. My plants love it.

If you have a bright room, you might not need it. But if you’re like me, and your plants are looking sad, a grow light is a game changer. It’s not expensive. It’s not complicated. It just works.

One more thing. Cleaning. Because plants get dusty. And dusty plants can’t breathe. I wipe my leaves down with a damp cloth once a month. It takes five minutes. It makes a huge difference. The plants look better. They photosynthesize better. It’s a win-win.

I also rotate them. Every few weeks, I spin the pots. So they grow evenly. Otherwise, they all lean toward the light. And that looks messy. Not clean girl aesthetic. Not intentional.

So your action plan. Get a ladder shelf. Or some pegboard. Or even just some command hooks and hanging pots. Pick three plants from my list. Start there. See how it goes. Add more if you want.

Don’t spend $200 on a fancy system. Don’t buy plants you don’t know. Start small. Start simple. That’s what worked for me.

And if you need more small space storage ideas, I wrote about organizing small kitchens with zero storage. The same principles apply: use vertical space, edit what you keep, and make it work for your life.

Oh, and about those nontoxic cleaners I mentioned earlier. If you have kids or pets, you need to be careful with plants. Some are toxic. I wrote about nontoxic cleaners for families, but the same mindset applies to plants. Research before you buy. I have a toddler. I made sure every plant in my house is safe if she decides to taste it. (She hasn’t. Yet.)

Okay. I’m going to go water my pothos. It’s been… maybe two weeks. It’s fine. It’ll be fine.

That’s vertical gardening. Not complicated. Not expensive. Just a little bit of wall space and some plants that refuse to die.