String of hearts care: light, water and a fuller plant
A string of hearts grows well in bright light, in a gritty cactus compost that dries out completely between waterings. Overwatering is what kills it, and too little light turns the leaves pale. This page covers placement, watering, the tubers, making a thin plant fuller, flowers, varieties, growing it outside and pets.
- Bright light, with some sun from an east or west window.
- Let the compost dry out completely, then water well.
- Lay strands across the compost so the tubers root and fill the top.
What a string of hearts is
The string of hearts, Ceropegia woodii, is a trailing evergreen perennial from southern Africa, in the milkweed subfamily of the dogbane family. NC State finds it along hillsides from the Cape to Zimbabwe, and RHS also lists it as Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii, rosary vine and hearts entangled. Its heart-shaped leaves are 1 to 2 cm across, dark green marbled with silver above and green to purple beneath, Wisconsin Horticulture says.
It is built to go without water. Wisconsin calls it a succulent: the leaves thicken as they store water, small potato-like tubers form along the stems, and a woody swollen base develops as the plant matures. That is why the care below is closer to a cactus than to a fern. The plant care guide has every other species on the site.
String of hearts varieties, from Variegata to Silver Glory
Wisconsin says there are few cultivars, and NC State lists five besides the species. The variegated form, Ceropegia woodii f. variegata, has cream and pink leaves and is sold as Lady Heart, which is the name RHS gives it. Silver Glory has silvery leaves with a dark green line, and String of Arrows has pointed lime and silver leaves.
All of them trail, so all suit a hanging pot or a wall pocket. Care does not change between them.
| Variety | What the leaf looks like | Light it needs | Suits a pocket? |
|---|
| Ceropegia woodii | Dark green hearts marbled silver, purple beneath | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
| Ceropegia woodii f. variegata (Lady Heart) | Cream and pink variegated hearts | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
| Ceropegia woodii ‘Silver Glory’ | Silvery, rounded leaves with a dark green line | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
| Ceropegia woodii ‘String of Arrows’ | Pointed lime green and silver leaves | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
| Ceropegia woodii ‘Heartless’ | Bright green leaves, pink beneath | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
| Ceropegia woodii ‘Orange River’ | Green leaves with an orange tint | Bright, some direct sun | Yes |
How much sunlight a string of hearts needs
Give it the brightest spot you have. Wisconsin grows it in a west- or south-facing window and says strong light darkens the leaves and brings out the marbling. NC State says bright, indirect sunlight, and RHS lists partial shade in an east- or west-facing position. Between them: bright light, with some morning or evening sun.
Low light shows in the leaves, which Wisconsin says turn light green instead of dark and marbled. It is not a plant for a dim hallway; plants for a low light room covers the ones that are.
How often to water a string of hearts
Water only when the compost has dried out completely, and then water deeply. NC State says to let it dry out completely between waterings, and Wisconsin to water only when dry, adding that it tolerates dry soil much better than soggy soil and is easily killed by overwatering. Missouri Botanical Garden does not name it, but puts succulents, hoya among them, in the group that likes the soil to dry out between waterings.
The leaves tell you when. NC State says wilted leaves are the result of underwatering, and overwatering brings yellow leaves and root rot. A soft, slightly wrinkled heart that firms up after watering was thirsty; a yellow, soft one in wet compost points to overwatering. What yellow leaves are telling you sorts out the other causes.
Compost, feeding and repotting a string of hearts
Use a gritty, fast-draining mix. RHS grows it in cactus compost, Wisconsin in a mix with plenty of coarse sand or perlite, such as a cactus and succulent mix, and NC State in a well-drained sandy potting soil.
Feed sparingly while it grows and not at all in winter. RHS applies a low-nitrogen liquid fertiliser 2 or 3 times while it is in growth; Wisconsin feeds at most monthly at half strength. Wisconsin says it does best crowded, so repot only when needed, in spring before new growth starts.
The little balls on a string of hearts
The small round beads along the stems are aerial tubers. Wisconsin says they form at the nodes and look like little potatoes; they store water, and the plant makes more of them underground, where they can grow to fill a pot. They are normal and not a disease.
Each one is also a new plant. NC State says a tuber roots and produces another plant when its stem touches soil, which is what the next section uses.
How to make a string of hearts fuller
A plant that is bare at the top and long at the ends has put its growth into the tips. The fix NC State describes is layering: lay a few long strands back across the compost so their tubers and leaf joints touch it, pin them down lightly, and they root where they touch, adding new stems at the top of the pot.
Cutting strands back helps too, and the cut pieces become cuttings for the propagation steps below. If the leaves are also pale, move it brighter at the same time, since Wisconsin ties pale leaves to too little light.
String of hearts flowers
The flowers are small tubes about 2.5 cm long, white to pale magenta, with a bulbous base and five petals fused at the tips into a little cage, so each looks like an upturned vase. Wisconsin says they appear mainly in summer and autumn, with the odd one at other times. Indoor plants that flower again covers the other houseplants that bloom indoors.
They trap small flies. Wisconsin describes downward-pointing hairs inside the tube that hold a fly until the hairs wither, and the fly leaves carrying pollen to the next flower. If pollinated, horn-shaped seed pods follow, like those of a milkweed.
Can a string of hearts go outside?
Only in a frost-free climate or for the warm months. NC State rates it for USDA zones 10 to 12, and RHS gives it a hardiness of H1C, which means a minimum of 5 to 10°C; Wisconsin keeps it above 16°C in winter. Wisconsin moves houseplants outside for the summer, getting them used to the stronger light gradually so the leaves do not burn, and brings them in before the first frost.
Is a string of hearts safe for cats and dogs?
There is no authoritative verdict. The ASPCA’s database, the reference most people check, does not list it under any of its names, and none of NC State, Wisconsin or RHS gives a toxicity rating. Plant shops and care blogs often call it pet safe without citing a poison-control source.
The ASPCA does list the rosary pea as toxic. That is Abrus precatorius, a different plant, so a warning about it does not apply to the rosary vine. If a pet in the house chews plants, hang this one out of reach, or choose the spider plant, which the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
A string of hearts on the wall
NC State says the stems drape over a container and hang about 90 cm, and RHS gives them 1 m or more, so a wall pocket high on a bright wall gives them the drop they need. The small leaves read best at eye level. Hanging plants that last indoors covers where a trailing plant keeps its leaves, and living wall systems, compared the other ways to put plants on a wall.
A pocket stands proud of the wall with air on every side, so the substrate dries from more directions than a pot on a shelf does, which suits a plant that wants to dry out completely. The Medium pocket holds 1.8 litres of substrate, about what a 15 cm pot takes, and Wisconsin says the plant does best crowded, so it does not need more.
The board hangs by a slot near its top on one wall hook, so the wall side is one screw, one plug and one drilled hole. Treat the filled weight like a heavy framed picture: plasterboard takes an expanding plug, brick a standard one, and a tiled wall needs a tile bit before the masonry bit. The mounting guide goes through it step by step.
- Fill the pocket halfway with a gritty cactus compost.
- Set the root ball high, near the surface, so the strands fall cleanly over the edge.
- Top up around it, firm lightly and lay the strands downward.
- Water once until it drains, then not again until the compost is completely dry.
String of hearts problems and how to fix them
| What you see | Why | The fix |
|---|
| Pale, light green leaves with little marbling | Too little light | Move it to the brightest window, with some morning or evening sun. |
| Yellow, soft leaves in wet compost | Overwatering and root rot | Let it dry out completely and repot into cactus compost if roots are soft. |
| Wilted, thin, wrinkled leaves | Underwatering | Water deeply once the compost is completely dry. |
| Bare at the top, long at the ends | Growth going into the tips | Lay strands across the compost so the tubers root. |
| Rot at the base in winter | Compost kept too wet in the cold, which RHS names | Keep it almost dry through winter and warm. |
| White cotton in the leaf joints or sticky bumps | Mealybugs, scale or aphids | Wipe them off and keep the plant apart from others. |
How to propagate a string of hearts
Wisconsin propagates it from cuttings, from the tubers or from seed, and says the tubers are the easiest route. Mealybugs are the one pest Wisconsin names, so check the strands before they go into a new pot; how to get rid of mealybugs covers the white cotton in the leaf joints.
- Pick a strand with a tuber on it.
- Press the tuber, still attached to the strand, into the compost of a second pot.
- Keep that compost moist but not wet while it roots.
- Once it is rooted and growing, cut the strand from the parent plant.
- For a cutting, take 10 to 15 cm of stem and root it in cactus compost somewhere warm, as RHS does.
Is a string of hearts easy to care for?
Yes, as long as it is not overwatered. Wisconsin calls it an easy indoor plant and says it is easily killed by overwatering.
Is a string of hearts a succulent?
Wisconsin Horticulture calls it one. Its leaves thicken to store water and it forms tubers along the stems and a swollen woody base, so it is watered like one.
How long can string of hearts strands get?
NC State says the stems hang about 90 cm from a container, and RHS gives them 1 m or more. In their native habitat NC State says they reach 3.7 m.
Does a string of hearts go dormant in winter?
It rests. NC State says it is dormant over winter and should be watered even less, and Wisconsin reduces watering and stops feeding until spring.
Is a string of hearts the same as a rosary vine?
Yes. NC State, Wisconsin and RHS all list rosary vine as a common name for Ceropegia woodii, along with chain of hearts and hearts entangled.
References