Choosing houseplants for your bathroom is an exciting task, but before choosing one you should consider some factors in the room such as lighting, space, humidity, style, and the amount of maintenance time you have to give to your new plant.
First, we would recommend evaluating the lighting conditions in your bathroom. Is it bright and sunny, or does it have low light? Then you can select plants that match the available light. Next, consider humidity in your bathroom, as they tend to be more humid due to showers and baths. Do you leave a window open? Do you have an extractor fan? This will then help you choose a plant that thrives in higher humidity levels should you need it.
You should also think about the amount of space you have for plants. If your bathroom is small, opt for compact or hanging plants, if you have a larger space perhaps you could introduce a plant that can sit on the floor. It’s always worth looking at how large a plant grows before purchasing it.
Your bathroom style is also an important element to consider, as you’ll want to match the plant’s aesthetic with your bathroom’s overall aesthetic and colour scheme. There are plenty of houseplants that have flowers, and variegated leaves for a pop of colour, or perhaps you are after some green foliage. Also think about where you would place your plant, do you have windowsills, shelves, or floor space? You could even try hanging plants!
Think about how much time you have to maintain your plants as well as how much effort you want to put in. Some plants require more attention than others. They might require more frequent watering, feeding or evening pruning, but there are plenty of plants that are quite happy to have very little attention, and thrive in a bathroom environment.
Some other points you might want to think about are:
- Air Purification: Lots of plants have great air-purifying qualities. This can help improve indoor air quality inside your bathroom, you could even choose one that gives off fragrance when the bathroom is filled with steam from a shower
- Toxicity: If you have pets or small children, make sure you select a non-toxic plant to ensure safety
We would highly recommend buying pots with drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. You could use saucers or trays to protect surfaces from excess water and prevent and staining, leaking or spillage of compost in your bathroom.
Remember, you can always trial it in your bathroom if you’re uncertain. Perhaps start with one or two plants and see how they respond to your bathroom conditions before expanding your collection.
Some great choices for bathrooms include:
1. Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum)
are great for beginners. They have a lovely white ribbon that runs down the length of the foliage with deep green margins either side. This plant thrives in indirect light and tolerates lower light conditions very well. It’s also known for its air-purifying qualities and is relatively easy to care for. So, if you have minimal time to spare time this is a great choice for you.
2. Snake Plants (Sansevieria)
produce lovely upright pointed leaves with varying green colours. You can also find curly versions of this plant. It’s a hardy indoor plant that can tolerate low light and irregular watering. To look after simply water when the soil feels dry and give the leaves a light wipe to keep pores free of dust. It’s well-suited for bathrooms with limited natural light, plus they are pretty hard to kill, it almost flourishes in neglect! They are also great for purifying the air.
3. ZZ Plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
are upright with glossy deep green individual leaves. They are low-maintenance and very easy to care for. ZZ plants thrive in low light and tolerate infrequent watering well, but they do love a feed once per month if you can. They are great for purifying the air too.
4. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
are a fantastic trailing plant, that you frequently see on desks and shelves. It has striking pointed, heart-shaped green leaves that can often be variegated with yellow, pale green and even white. Pothos are fairly fast growing and can adapt to a range of lighting conditions, including low light levels.
5. Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum)
are a bushy foliage plant that re-flowers easily. This elegant plant has lovely slender stems that sit above glossy oval shaped leaves. While it prefers higher humidity, it can do superbly in bathroom environments. If your bathroom gets allot of light and steam, you’ll find it does really well in there. A Peace Lilly will also bounce back when you’ve missed watering – simply top her up when the soil feels dry to the touch.
6. Ferns
have many species, not all are recommended for bathroom conditions. So here are our recommendations:
- Kangaroo Paw loves humidity and doesn’t require much sunlight. It has wide spreading leaves that will grow down the side of your pot for a cascading effect.
- Silver Brake have beautiful variegated long leaves, decorated with a silver stripe on each. It can reach up to 2ft in size. You will need to make sure it has access to a window though, as while it doesn’t require direct sunlight it does need light and will struggle in deep shade.
- Maidenhair Ferns are classic cascading plants with beautiful foliage. The leaves can be quite fragile as they are thin and almost transparent. They live happily in humid environments and are best placed closed to a shower for maximum humidity.
- Lemon Button Ferns are quite unique with short, rounded leaves. You almost wouldn’t associate this with a typical fern! It’s very easy to grow and is fairly tolerant of different light levels as well as infrequent watering.
- Bird’s Nest is a great choice for low maintenance care. The plant has wide glossy leaves that look similar to a flowering plant rather than a classic fern. But this is definitely one to try if you’re worried about keeping up with a challenging care routine.
- Boston Ferns enjoys humid conditions and can thrive in bathrooms with indirect light. It has the classic sword shaped leaves you’d expect from a fern and can grow to an impressive size of 6ft. Bushy in nature when mature, we recommend using this as a statement piece in a larger bathroom placed in a pot on the floor or hanging from the ceiling if you have high ceilings.
7. Bamboo (Lucky Bamboo, Dracaena sanderiana)
are known for their ability to grow in water, making them a good fit for bathrooms. An exotic plant, they are really quite captivating to look at. The plant is believed to bring good luck and prosperity and are commonly gifted as they are said to bring love to you or the person you share it with. Place bamboo in light spots with indirect sunlight. It enjoys humidity and only required watering every 10 days. Ideally water with rainwater!
8. Aloe Vera
is a practical addition that can thrive in the warm, humid environment of a bathroom. The most common type of an Aloe Vera has succulent, thick and fleshy leaves. The soothing gel inside the leaves can even be used on skin irritations, cuts, or sunburn. It requires little watering as the leaves hold allot of water. So, you only need to water if the soil is dry. However, even the just the steam from your shower can be enough for this plant to thrive. Pop an Aloe Vera in a bright spot without direct sunlight.
9. Air Plants (Tillandsia)
are unique plants that don’t require soil and can be placed on various surfaces in your bathroom. As long as you ensure there is enough light and ventilation, air plants will flourish in the humid air of your bathroom. As these plants don’t have roots, it can be hard to figure out when to water them. Air Plants growing in steamy bathrooms actually absorb the moisture and that’s usually enough. You’ll find they help to clear your steamed up bathroom mirror or window! These plants only require a light misting when its particularly hot weather!
10. Orchids
have beautifully delicate bloom and are available in a wide variety of colours. In fact, with over 25,000 species they are the biggest group of plants available. Orchids love humidity and do extremely well in bathroom conditions with bright, indirect light. We would recommend buying an orchid of the Phalaenopsis variety as its very low maintenance. It’s also the most easily recognisable species so you’ll find them in most garden centres or supermarkets.
Why not try our Orchid compost, feed and water to help yours thrive!
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