Best hanging planters

Hanging planters are a quick and easy way to not only organize your potted plants but to display them in a space-saving manner. When properly mounted into a ceiling beam with the right sort of hardware, they're secure enough to hold large planters and heavy, trailing plants. This hanging planter from Umbra nabbed our best overall award; it's aimed at smaller plants, with a trio of planters suspended from a metal rod. Its melamine planters are sized for 3-inch pots, making them ideal for an indoor herb garden or succulents. If you're looking for a different design, don't fret; we've gathered the very best hanging planters we could find for indoor and outdoor use. Take a look below at our collection, and choose your favorite.

Hanging planters can seem daunting to install, especially if you have high ceilings. However, Umbra's mounting system is reminiscent of curtain rods and can be installed the same way—no ceiling hooks necessary. The Triflora planter system will fit a 24-inch standard window, and you can adjust the length of the rope that attaches the pots to the rod. Fresh herbs are the easiest way to punch up the flavor in your cooking, and this planter trio will work nicely as an indoor garden. Proper drainage is essential for many plants, as excess water can contribute very quickly to root rot. Unfortunately, Umbra's melamine planters lack drainage holes. Still, you can correct this shortcoming by adding a layer of pebbles before adding plants and soil.

Tasseled, tiered, and embellished—macrame plant hangers have been a staple for plant parents over the decades. They're DIY-friendly, affordable, and can be made to fit nearly any size pot. GROWNEER's neutral-beige macrame plant hangers are classically designed with spiraled knots and dangling fringe. Each hanger in this 5-pack has a different knot pattern, length, and diameter, which adds some variety to your new arrangement. Assembly is unnecessary, but you'll still need to choose between ceiling or rod mounting. Thankfully, GROWNEER includes standard thread ceiling hooks and steel s-shaped hooks, helping to make your decision a simple one.

I chuckled when I came across KALALOU's chonky little bird planter; it does remind me of one of my favorite songs. It's a bit rustic in its design, with its glossy blue body and tiny sculpted wings, but that's precisely where its charm lies. Suspended by jute twine, this planter has a 29-inch drop from its hanging point. Size-wise, it can accommodate transplants from nursery pots under 6 inches. If you have high ceilings, consider installing an L-bracket on your wall to mount the hook. You'll find that watering day is that much easier when your plants are within reach. You also might want to avoid hanging this feathered friend outside—jute isn't a water-resistant fiber and can rot away over time.

When you think of hanging planters, you probably conjure up an image reminiscent of these baskets from CABASAA. Coconut coir, made from the tough fibers of coconut husks, has long been an ideal potting substrate for all sorts of plants, especially orchids and succulents. Adding it to a soil blend or substrate will help thirsty plants retain moisture in dry climates. In this case, it's used to significant effect as a moisture-retaining liner within a sturdy metal frame that's powder-coated to resist rust and other weather-related damage. Chains are attached to three points on the planter's frame and gathered securely at the hanging hook. Conveniently, there's no assembly required for CABASAA's hanging planter pair—plop in some petunias, hang, and you've got a prettier porch in mere seconds.

You don't need to lose plants if you can't be home for their watering schedule. SAROSORA's pair of 8-inch, white plastic hanging planters are affordable additions to your plant pot collection and significantly upgrade your plant maintenance plan. Strong metal chains are attached at three points around the rim and can be gathered with a hook to hang from ceilings or wall mounts. Conveniently, you can also place these planters on flat surfaces after removing the chains. Indoor and outdoor use are equally effective, thanks to a drainage window near the water-resistant plate in the base of the planters. As a result, excess rain will trickle out, and your soil moisture balance will be preserved. SAROSORA also included three complementary coconut coir discs; each one expands into a quart of plant fiber. You'll want to add fertilizer while reconstituting the coir, though—it lacks the vital nutrients found in standard soil blends. 

Bottom line

Rearranging your plant collection by incorporating hanging planters is a quick and easy way to dramatically change the look of your home. Of course, you'll also want to consider the lighting in your space—certain plants require more sunlight than others, and you don't want to doom them to a dark corner. Our best overall hanging planter from Umbra was designed with that concern in mind and is meant to be installed on or near a window. 

The convenience of self-watering pots can't be denied, though—and I'd recommend SAROSORA's convertible hanging planter duo as a starting point. Their self-watering system is simple, consisting of a water-resistant plate that keeps the roots away from pooled water and saves any excess for the plant to drink up later. 

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