Not every plant needs a sunny windowsill to thrive—some of my favorite vines are totally happy in the shadows. If your indoor garden has more shade than shine, you’re in luck.
These beauties grow with ease, trailing or climbing their way into every cozy corner. A few of them even surprised me with how well they handled my darker rooms.
Let’s take a look at the vines that don’t mind keeping it low-key.
1. Pothos
Golden, marble queen, or neon—whatever variety catches your eye, these hardy trailing plants thrive in almost any indoor condition. They forgive missed waterings and adapt to low light while still showing off their gorgeous variegated leaves.
Hang them from a bookshelf or let them cascade down a cabinet. With proper care, pothos vines can grow several feet long, creating a dramatic waterfall effect that instantly livens up any room.
2. Philodendron
Heart-shaped leaves dangle from slender stems, creating a romantic cascade that softens any indoor space. Unlike their fussier cousins, philodendrons actually prefer the filtered light found in most homes and will sulk if placed in direct sun.
Growing them couldn’t be easier—just water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Their forgiving nature makes them perfect first plants for beginners, while their elegant form satisfies even seasoned plant collectors.
3. English Ivy
Straight from Victorian conservatories to modern apartments, this classic vine brings timeless charm to any space. Its distinctive lobed leaves create intricate patterns as they trail down walls or climb across bookshelves with minimal guidance.
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy for best results. While it grows slower in dim conditions, English ivy still thrives where other plants would fail, purifying your air while adding that coveted cottage aesthetic.
4. Heartleaf Philodendron
Often mistaken for pothos, this superstar houseplant earns its own spotlight with glossier, more consistently heart-shaped foliage. The leaves unfurl in a captivating bronze color before maturing to deep green, adding visual interest throughout its growth cycle.
Practically indestructible, heartleaf philodendrons can survive in corners that rarely see sunlight. Their trailing habit makes them perfect for macramé hangers, allowing those charming hearts to cascade beautifully in even the darkest nook.
5. Arrowhead Vine
Starting compact but eventually developing into a magnificent trailer, arrowhead vines undergo a fascinating transformation as they mature. Young plants display tidy, upright growth with distinctively pointed leaves that give them their name.
As they age, stems elongate and begin to trail or climb, depending on available support. Available in varieties from deep green to pink-tinged, these adaptable plants maintain their good looks even in the shadiest spots of your home.
6. Spider Plant
Not strictly a vine but earning its place through its spectacular trailing habits, spider plants create living mobiles with their arching stems and baby plantlets. Their striped, grass-like foliage adds textural contrast to smoother-leaved houseplants in your collection.
The dangling babies—perfect miniature replicas of the mother plant—can be snipped off and rooted to create new plants. Few houseplants offer such a satisfying propagation experience while thriving in the dimmest corners of your home.
7. Swedish Ivy
Despite its misleading name, this isn’t actually an ivy but a plectranthus with scalloped, succulent-like leaves that cascade beautifully from hanging baskets. Swedish ivy’s bright green foliage creates a refreshing pop of color in low-light bathrooms or offices.
Quick-growing and eager to please, it responds well to regular pinching by becoming fuller and more lush. Its subtle fragrance when touched is an unexpected bonus that makes this undemanding vine even more delightful as a houseplant companion.
8. String of Hearts
Delicate heart-shaped leaves strung along threadlike purple stems create living jewelry for your plant shelf. While they appreciate some bright indirect light, these dainty vines tolerate lower light conditions better than most succulents, making them versatile decorative plants.
The marbled pattern on each tiny leaf resembles watercolor art, especially on variegated varieties. Allow the soil to dry completely between waterings to keep these semi-succulent vines happy and their charming hearts trailing elegantly down shelves or hanging planters.
9. Boston Fern
Though technically not a vine, mature Boston ferns develop magnificent arching fronds that cascade dramatically from hanging planters. Their feathery texture brings a softness to interiors that few other low-light plants can match.
Humidity lovers at heart, they thrive in steamy bathrooms or kitchens. Regular misting keeps those delicate fronds lush and prevents browning tips. Few plants create such an instant tropical feel while being so adaptable to less-than-ideal lighting conditions.
10. Wandering Jew
Jewel-toned leaves striped with silver, purple, or pink make this trailing beauty a standout in any plant collection. The contrasting colors remain vibrant even in lower light, though they may become more green-dominant without bright indirect exposure.
Incredibly easy to propagate, simply snip a piece and place it in water to root. This fast-growing vine quickly fills out hanging baskets or spills dramatically from shelf edges, bringing bold color to spaces where most flowering plants would struggle.
11. Wax Plant
Patience rewards hoya collectors with thick, waxy leaves that trail gracefully from hanging planters. Unlike faster-growing vines, these slow-growing beauties develop a woody, vinelike structure over time that adds character to your plant display.
The real magic happens when mature plants bloom, producing clusters of star-shaped, often fragrant flowers that look like they’re made of porcelain. Even without blooms, their distinctive thick leaves maintain an elegant presence in low-light situations that would challenge most flowering plants.
12. Creeping Fig
Tiny leaves on slender stems create a delicate, lace-like effect as this miniature vine trails from containers. In brighter spots, creeping fig might attempt to climb walls, but in lower light, it behaves as a well-mannered trailing plant perfect for shelves or mantels.
The diminutive scale of its foliage makes it an excellent choice for terrariums or small spaces where larger-leaved vines would overwhelm. Its slow growth in low light becomes an advantage, requiring less frequent trimming while maintaining its charming compact character.
13. Prayer Plant
Famous for folding its leaves upward at night like hands in prayer, this houseplant favorite develops trailing stems as it matures. The stunning leaf patterns—featuring bold center veins in contrasting colors—remain vibrant even in lower light conditions.
While not the longest trailing plant, prayer plants create a fuller, more cascading effect when allowed to spill over pot edges. Their unique daily movement adds an element of living art to your space, with leaves that seem to dance between day and night positions.
14. String of Pearls
Resembling a strand of green beads, this quirky succulent creates living jewelry for your plant shelf. While they prefer some brightness, these unusual trailers adapt surprisingly well to medium-low light situations with proper care adjustments.
The key is reducing water frequency in dimmer spots to prevent rot. When happy, the stems can trail several feet, creating a dramatic beaded curtain effect. Their unique form makes them conversation pieces even when tucked into corners that other plants might reject.
15. Lipstick Plant
Named for its tubular red flowers that resemble tubes of lipstick emerging from dark buds, this trailing beauty brings unexpected color to low-light spaces. The glossy, somewhat succulent leaves form attractive cascades even when not in bloom.
While flowering is most prolific in brighter spots, lipstick plants still perform well in moderate to low light, just with fewer blooms. Their trailing habit makes them perfect for hanging baskets where the distinctive flowers can dangle at eye level for maximum appreciation.
16. Mistletoe Cactus
Despite the cactus name, this unusual trailer has no spines—just jointed stems that create a fascinating architectural cascade. Its pencil-thin segments grow in a zigzag pattern, forming living sculptures that drape elegantly from hanging planters.
Unlike most cacti, mistletoe cactus naturally grows in tree canopies where light is filtered, making it perfectly adapted to indoor conditions. Tiny white flowers occasionally appear along the stems, followed by translucent berries that add to its distinctive character in low-light plant collections.