Bathrooms deserve to be decorated with lush greenery just like every other room in the house – but it can be tricky to find a plant that thrives here. Low light, high humidity, and warm temperatures mean only certain houseplants will flourish.
Keep reading to discover what you need to consider when choosing bathroom flora, and check out 16 great houseplant suggestions for this room.
1.Lucky Bamboo
An inexpensive and easy to find at garden centers, grocery stores, dollar stores, convenience stores, car washes and gas stations and many other venues. It is easy to grow and enjoys a low-light setting.
You don’t even need soil to grow the lucky bamboo plant – Dracaena sanderiana. Just purchase a few shoots, take it home and pop it into a container of pebbles or marbles and filtered water (or water that has been allowed to sit out overnight to allow chemicals to dissipate). Change the water weekly to prevent mold growth.
This type of plant grows very quickly, but you can keep it the size you want by trimming it regularly or by placing it in an area that hampers its growth. For example, you might put a shelf above it.
2. Ferns
True ferns such do very well in low-light bathroom settings.
Another is the “asparagus foxtail fern” not a true fern but its look has earned it the name. They like indirect, natural light so a window is desirable but a full spectrum grow light will also work.
Ferns make great shower plants they will enjoy the humidity from your showers, but they also need regular watering and misting. Remember to check the soil and keep it lightly moist (not soggy) at all times.
3. Cast Iron Plant
Aspidistra elatior – the cast iron plant is an excellent choice if you are a notorious plant killer. This plant likes a low light setting and can tolerate a neglected watering schedule. It can tolerate extremes of temperature (50°-85° degrees Fahrenheit). Naturally, as with all living things, a consistent temperature is appreciated.
To take good care of aspidistra, place it in an area with indirect sunlight and water it thoroughly when the soil becomes bone dry.
Wipe the long, spear-like leaves with a damp cloth from time-to-time to keep them dust-free. If your bathroom is windowless, provide artificial light.
4. Chinese Evergreen
The Aglaonema is a lush, leafy plant with large leaves variegated with white or pink markings. You will often see this plant in a mall or office settings because it is tough and beautiful and it loves a controlled indoor environment. It is a tropical plant, and your bathroom is the perfect place for it!
5. Dieffenbachia
The “Dumb Cane” is similar in appearance to Chinese Evergreen and Aspidistra plant, but it much bigger. Its leaves can grow to be a foot long or more.
Dieffenbachia prefers artificial light and needs bright indirect light to thrive. It needs protection from direct sunlight. It also likes high humidity and consistently moist well-drained soil.
If you have the unusual circumstance of having a large, windowless bathroom and you want to create the illusion of a well-lit, tropical setting, this plant will do well for you.
6. Dracaena
The “Dragon Plant” comes in more than forty varieties. It’s long, spear-like leaves range in width from very fine and thin to a couple of inches wide.
Available in solid green, greenish-maroon, and variegated colorations. The leaves emerge from relatively thick, trunk-like stems.
This plant is a real workhorse as air purifying plants for bathrooms. It prefers artificial light to natural light and will scorch in bright sunlight.
This low-care plant does very well with just the high humidity levels you would expect to find in a bathroom.
7. Philodendron
The “philo” comes in many shapes and size. Large and small, medium-light, low care tropical plants with glossy green, variegated and even maroon colored leaves.
The split-leaf variety sometimes known as Monstera. Heartleaf philodendron with its heart-shaped leaf is a long-time, popular favorite.
All types of philodendron prefer consistent, moderate lighting, so artificial lighting is the best choice. They also need a consistently warm temperature, so plan to keep your bathroom between 75° to 85° degrees Fahrenheit.
8.Mother-In-Law Tongue | Snake Plant
The snake plant will do well in light levels ranging from low to bright indirect lighting. It will also do very well with fluorescent or grow lights. It is fine in most humidity levels and needs infrequent watering. A favorite plant for bathroom settings.
9. ZZ Plant
ZZ is a drought tolerant plant, but it will do best if you water it thoroughly when the top inch of the soil becomes dry. If you do forget and it begins to drop leaves, give it a good watering, and it is sure to bounce back.
ZZ has thick, glossy, dark green leaves that grow on long fronds. It is a very attractive plant that attains a maximum height of two feet.
10. Peperomia Plant aka The Radiator
The Peperomia plant with about 1,000 species has been popular as a small houseplant for decades. With all the species available only a handful are grown commercially.
One of the most popular species with many sports and cultivars is Peperomia obtusifolia (baby rubber plant). Sometimes called the baby rubber plant, Peperomias make nice additions to a bathroom.
11. Aloe Vera
The aloe plant just keeps on giving! Not only is it known as the ‘plant of immortality’ because it is so difficult to kill, it is an incredibly useful plant to have around the home.
Aloe vera juice is bursting with vitamins and minerals, while the gel can be used as a topical treatment for minor cuts and burns, insect bites, dry skin and more.
This striking and healing plant should be placed close to the bathroom window and, because of its low water requirements, the humidity alone may meet most of its water needs!
12. Begonia
These pretty blooms do well indoors. In fact, in many climates, they must be overwintered inside – with the bathroom being one of the best locations to do just this.
Begonias do best in fluorescent lighting, although they can survive when placed in window locations too (the exception being north-facing windows). They also require daily bathroom humidity or regular misting.
13. Boston Fern
A popular variety of fern with frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds, the Boston fern is native to sub-tropical and tropical rain forests.
It grows best when placed on a windowsill or in a position which receives lots of indirect light. Humidity and temperatures of between 55 and 75 degrees are also important for your fern to thrive. In the growing months, the soil should be kept moist, but not saturated.
14. Ivy
Ivy, particularly English Ivy, is one of NASA’s top air purifying plants. It can even help you keep the bathroom clean and hygienic by removing feces and mold from the surrounding air!
In bathrooms where space is at a premium, the ivy plant can be placed on a ledge or in a hanging basket where the leaves can elegantly trail down.
Needing just moderate exposure to sunlight, this evergreen vine enjoys the high humidity levels commonly found in bathrooms.
15. Orchid
Place your orchid on the bathroom windowsill, where the indirect sunlight will provide adequate light but won’t cause leaf scorch; while the high humidity mirrors the flower’s natural environment.
It’s also a relatively compact flower making it perfect for smaller rooms, where it can be perched on the corner of the bathtub or next to the sink.
16. Peace Lily
The peace lily is a striking flower, with glossy leaves and white blooms. It thrives in low light conditions, although it should be exposed to some indirect sunlight.
To simulate the natural humidity of the tropics, a daily misting or position next to a steamy shower is a must for the peace lily.
It’s another of NASA’s best plants for air purity, as it helps to filter out harmful benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde toxins.
Source: naturallivingideas.com