Best Plants for Head Planters: Plants That Look Like Hair
Short answer: For a head planter that looks like it has hair, choose a trailing plant: string of pearls, string of hearts, pothos, heart-leaf philodendron, English ivy or a spider plant. For a crown, choose an upright plant such as a snake plant or dracaena. Whatever you pick, its nursery pot must fit the planter's opening, not its outer size.
Looking for the pieces themselves? See our head planters and face plant pots.
Which plants look like hair?
Trailing plants fall over the brow and down the back of the head. Gardeners' World lists golden pothos, heart-leaf philodendron, string of pearls, string of hearts and burro's tail among the best trailing house plants. Our hanging planter's own guidance adds spider plant, Boston fern and English ivy.
| Look | Plants |
|---|---|
| Long, fine hair | String of pearls, string of hearts, burro's tail |
| Full, leafy hair | Pothos, heart-leaf philodendron, English ivy |
| Spiky, playful hair | Spider plant, Boston fern |
| A crown | Snake plant, dracaena, a young bird of paradise |
| No watering | Dried or faux stems |
How do you fit a plant to the opening?
Measure the opening at the top. Golden Grace, The Motherboard and Crown of Tides open about 7 to 8 cm across, the Afro Woman Head Planter about 9 cm and Aristotle.exe about 14 cm. Buy a plant in a nursery pot that slips into that gap, then sit the nursery pot inside the head so you can lift it out to water.
Does a head planter need drainage?
The RHS calls drainage holes essential for containers. Some of our heads have a hole; others, such as Golden Grace, do not. Where there is no hole, keep the plant in its nursery pot and empty any water that collects. Each product page says which kind it is.
How much light does it need?
Follow the light and watering advice on the plant's label, and turn the head now and then so the hair grows evenly on both sides.
Questions
What plants look like hair in a head planter?
Trailing plants: string of pearls, string of hearts, pothos, heart-leaf philodendron, English ivy and spider plants.
What size plant fits a head planter?
One whose nursery pot fits the opening at the top. Ours open from about 7 cm to about 14 cm across.
Can I plant straight into a head planter?
Only if it has a drainage hole. Otherwise keep the plant in a nursery pot inside it.
Can I use faux plants?
Yes. Dried or faux stems need no water and suit every head.
Browse head planters and face plant pots
Sources
From our shop
