Best Climbing House Plants and How to Support Them

Climbing houseplants bring height and drama to a room. Given something to climb, many of them grow larger leaves than they ever would trailing from a shelf. Here are the best indoor climbing plants, how they climb, and how to support each one.

How Indoor Climbing Plants Climb

Most popular climbing houseplants are aroids that climb with aerial roots. They grip moist bark in the wild. Indoors, a moist moss pole does the same job. Others twine or use tendrils and do better on a trellis. Knowing which type you have tells you which support to use.

The Best Climbing House Plants

1. Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant)

The classic climber. On a moss pole, the cheese plant produces bigger, more split leaves. Use an M (2.5") or L (3") pole. Shop our moss pole for monstera collection.

2. Pothos

Golden, marble queen, neon and cebu blue pothos all climb readily. Leaves can get much larger when they climb. An S (2") pole suits most. See moss pole for pothos and philodendron.

3. Climbing Philodendrons

Heartleaf, brasil, Florida Beauty, pink princess and many more. Smaller types use an S pole; big climbers use M.

4. Monstera adansonii

Smaller, lacy leaves and fast growth. An S pole works well.

5. Syngonium (arrowhead plant)

Starts bushy, then vines and climbs. Climbing brings out larger leaves.

6. Scindapsus (satin pothos)

Silver-splashed leaves that grow larger and more textured when climbing.

7. Rhaphidophora tetrasperma

Looks like a mini monstera and climbs fast. An S or M pole fits.

8. Hoya

Twining vines that prefer a trellis or hoop rather than a moss pole.

9. Climbing fig (Ficus pumila)

Clings to surfaces with small roots. Works on a moss pole or textured wall.

How to Support Indoor Climbing Plants

• Aroids with aerial roots: use a moisture-holding moss pole. Face the roots toward it and keep it damp.
• Twiners (hoya, jasmine): use a trellis or hoop.
• Clingers: a moss pole, board or textured surface.

For aroids, our Modular Moss Pole Kit is built for exactly this. It has stackable 12-inch segments in XS to L diameters, ships empty so you choose coco coir chips or sphagnum, and segments split apart for root checks and cuttings. When the plant reaches the top, add an extension.

Care Tips for Climbing Houseplants

• Light: bright, indirect light encourages strong upward growth.
• Humidity: higher humidity helps aerial roots grow and grip.
• Training: tie new growth to the support loosely at each node.
• Patience: leaf size increases over several new leaves, not overnight.

Start Climbing

New to poles? Read What Is a Moss Pole? or browse all moss poles for plants.