Dragon Tail Plant (Hanging Basket)

Dragon Tail (Epipremnum pinnatum) is the trailing aroid for people who have run out of patience with slow indoor plants. In a hanging basket it spills 1m to 2m of stem within a couple of seasons, and mature leaves split into the deep fingered lobes that give the plant its name. Give it something to climb and it goes much further.

Why you'll love it

• Fast enough to notice. In warm months it puts on new leaves week by week, so a small basket looks full inside a season.
• The leaves change as it matures. Young foliage is simple and glossy, then established stems produce the split, fingered leaves that make it worth growing.
• Basket or totem, your choice. Left to hang it trails. Given a moss pole it climbs, and the leaves get larger and more deeply cut the higher it goes.
• It forgives neglect. Low maintenance, happy in a range of light levels, and quick to recover from a missed watering.

Where it works best

Indoors, anywhere in the country. Inside a home or office your climate stops mattering, which matters for a plant this frost tender. Hang it where the trails clear head height and keep it out of direct sun.

Pots and hanging baskets. A 250mm to 300mm basket carries a mature plant. Use a mix that drains and never leave the basket standing in its own runoff.

Sheltered balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens in shade or filtered light, trained up a post or spilling from a wall pot. Frost ends it, so anywhere colder it comes inside for winter.

Growing Dragon Tail in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light gives the best leaf size and splitting. It tolerates moderate shade, though growth slows and the leaves stay simple. Direct sun through glass burns it.

Soil. A quality indoor mix opened up with perlite or bark. Roots need air as much as water, and a heavy dense mix is the usual cause of trouble.

Water and feed. Water when the top 3cm is dry, roughly weekly in summer and every two to three weeks in winter. It grows faster with humidity, so bathrooms and kitchens suit it. Liquid fertiliser at half strength monthly through the warm months is enough.

Pruning and safety. Cut stems back to a leaf node whenever the trails get leggy, and the cuttings strike easily in water. The sap is toxic to cats and dogs, so hang it where a chewing pet cannot reach the ends.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock, in 175mm and 200mm packs of six, and in 250mm packs of three. Tubes are young rooted cuttings and the value option for filling several baskets. The 200mm and 250mm plants carry trailing stems already and can be hung the day they arrive.

Trailing plants are packed with the stems gathered in, so expect them to look compressed for a few days before they relax back into shape. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The watering and light mistakes that kill indoor plants
• Browse the indoor plant range
• Compare climbing and trailing plants
• Plants suited to balconies and courtyards

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The sap contains calcium oxalates, which cause drooling, mouth irritation and vomiting if chewed. Hang it high or keep it in a room your pets do not use.

Why are the leaves not splitting?

Splitting comes with maturity and light. Give it brighter indirect light and something to climb, and new leaves will come through larger and more deeply cut.

How do I keep it full rather than straggly?

Trim the longest stems back by a third in spring and push the cuttings into the same pot. That thickens the crown instead of leaving a few long bare runners.