The heartleaf philodendron is the easiest trailing plant we sell — heart-shaped, deep-green leaves on stems that will pour off a shelf or climb a pole, growing quickly and forgiving nearly every mistake along the way.
Light
Bright indirect light is ideal, but it tolerates low light gracefully — the leaves simply grow a little smaller and further apart. Keep it out of strong direct sun, which bleaches and scorches the foliage.
Watering
Water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry — roughly weekly in summer, every two weeks or so in winter. Drooping, soft leaves mean thirst; yellowing lower leaves usually mean too much water. It bounces back quickly from a missed watering, less quickly from a soggy one.
Temperature
Happy at 16–24°C, and best kept above 12°C. Avoid cold draughts from doors and single-glazed windowsills in winter. It appreciates humidity but doesn't demand it — bathrooms and kitchens suit it beautifully.
Feeding
Feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser through spring and summer. Pause over winter.
Training and pruning
Left alone it trails; given a moss pole or a wire it climbs, and the leaves grow noticeably larger for it. Pinch back long stems just above a leaf node to keep the plant full at the top — every cutting will root in a glass of water, so a single plant quietly becomes several.
Good to know
Like most philodendrons the leaves are irritating if ingested, so hang it up high or place it out of reach of pets that chew.
