String of hearts is one of those plants I bought entirely because I saw a photograph of one cascading beautifully from a shelf and immediately decided that was the sort of person I was going to become.
A string of hearts tumbling down about four feet in a perfectly even curtain of tiny heart-shaped leaves?
Mine spent its first few months producing three increasingly long, increasingly bald strings that appeared to be making a determined escape towards the nearest window.
It turns out that where you put a string of hearts matters rather a lot.
String of Hearts Likes Plenty of Light
String of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) does best with lots of bright light.
It can tolerate somewhat lower light levels, which I think is where some of the confusion comes from. Surviving isn’t thriving, and string of hearts is definitely a plant that needs to thrive before it looks good.
In weaker light, a string of hearts can start producing longer gaps between its leaves. Instead of that dense cascade of hearts you were imagining, you get increasingly bare lengths of stem with the occasional lonely leaf attached.
If your plant seems to be stretching out without filling out, light is one of the first things I’d look at.
Can String of Hearts Handle Direct Sunlight?
Yes, and a little direct sun can actually be very useful.
String of hearts isn’t quite as frightened of sunshine as the enormous category of “bright indirect light houseplants” might have you believe.
Some gentle direct sunlight can encourage compact growth, and good light can also help bring out the attractive silvery patterning and purple tones that string of hearts can develop.
What I wouldn’t do is take a plant that’s been living in relatively low light and suddenly put it against scorching glass during a summer heatwave.
Plants can acclimatise to brighter conditions, so make changes gradually and watch how yours responds.
Put it Near a Bright Window
A spot close to a bright window is usually a good starting point.
An east or west-facing window can work particularly well because the plant gets plenty of light and may also receive some gentler direct sun.
A bright south-facing window can also be excellent. You may just need to experiment with exactly how close to the glass the plant sits, particularly if the window gets strong direct summer sunshine.
A north-facing window isn’t automatically a disaster either, especially if it’s large and unobstructed. But if the room is naturally quite dark, your string of hearts may struggle to maintain really compact, leafy growth.
The useful thing to remember is that compass directions are only a rough guide. A south-facing window shaded by a building can receive less useful light than a big north-facing window looking out over an open garden.
Have a look at the actual spot rather than trusting the estate agent’s description of your house.
Hanging it High Can Create a Problem
This is the bit that caught me out.
String of hearts looks fantastic hanging from a high shelf, so naturally that’s where we all want to put it.
Unfortunately, the top of the plant still needs light.
A shelf might look beautifully bright from where you’re standing while the actual pot is tucked into a gloomy little cave six inches below the ceiling.
And that’s where all the new growth originates.
If the trailing stems are in lovely light but the crown of the plant is sitting in shade, you can end up with sparse growth around the top of the pot. This is also why hanging a string of hearts in front of a window can work so well. You get the trailing effect without hiding the important bit of the plant in darkness.
Don’t Forget that the Vines Grow Towards Light
This can produce some slightly peculiar-looking plants.
If all the useful light comes from one direction, new growth may start making its way enthusiastically towards it.
Rotating the pot occasionally can help keep growth more balanced around the plant. You don’t need to put “rotate String of Hearts 14 degrees clockwise” in your calendar. Just give it a turn now and again when you remember.
Mine generally gets rotated when I notice it’s become visibly lopsided and wonder how long it’s been like that.
Bathrooms and Kitchens
You can grow string of hearts in a bathroom or kitchen, but don’t choose these rooms specifically for the humidity.
String of hearts has succulent-like leaves and doesn’t require the very humid conditions that some tropical houseplants enjoy. Light is much more important when choosing its position.
A bright bathroom? Lovely.
A gloomy bathroom because somebody on the internet said houseplants like steam? There are better candidates.
The same applies to kitchens. If you’ve got a bright shelf or window where the plant won’t regularly get blasted with heat or coated in cooking grease, it can be perfectly happy there.
So, Where’s the Best Place for a String of Hearts?
I look for somewhere that gives you bright light at the top of the pot and enough room for the stems to trail.
That could be a hanging planter near a window, a bright shelf, the edge of a bookcase, or simply a windowsill.
And even if you’ve already found the aesthetically perfect spot, don’t be afraid to move it if the plant tells you otherwise.
Of course, once you move one plant to a better spot, it’s hard not to start moving the rest of them.
I’ve got some great advice for placing monstera and lighting olive trees that are definitely worth a read.
Not to mention the little library of guides I’ve got to cover all your houseplant troubles.
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