The bathroom might not be the first place you think of when growing plants, but it’s often a great location if you start with the right plants. While not all plants will thrive in the humid conditions of a bathroom, others will grow perfectly in it. Today, we’ll be looking at 5 such plants that will make excellent additions to your bathroom. By the end, you’ll have some great ideas and be able to add some greenery to an often-neglected room. Here are our picks for the best plants for your bathroom.
Things To Keep In Mind
First off, it’s important to understand the reasons that can often make growing plants in your bathroom difficult. If we then choose plants that aren’t bothered by these difficulties then we have a much greater chance of success. Here are a couple of areas of care to keep in mind when growing plants in your bathroom.
Temperature Changes
One issue is that a bathroom can experience lots of large temperature swings. While it’s often warm and steamy during use, it can cool down significantly afterward. Many plants don’t grow well in conditions that change this rapidly.
High Humidity
The bathroom also experiences frequent periods of high humidity that can be harmful to certain plants. Things like cacti or succulents generally don’t like the high humidity levels in a bathroom and likely won’t grow well there.
Lack Of Light
Bathrooms are also notorious for having a lack of windows, no one wants people watching them after all. This means that many bathrooms are low light at best, and many plants won’t grow in such conditions.
Taken together, we’re looking for high-humidity plants that can grow in lower light conditions and don’t mind a little swing in temperature.
The following plants all work well given the shortcomings above. Choosing the right plant is critical if you want to successfully add some greenery to your bathroom.
Snake Plant
First up we have snake plants. These lovely plants are quite hardy and will do well in the high-humidity environment of the bathroom. Their care is minimal, and it requires little input to keep them healthy.
They do enjoy bright light but can grow in lower light conditions as well. This will generally mean they grow a bit slower and will become greener, but they will still be perfectly healthy. All this taken together means they make an excellent bathroom plant. If possible, place them near a bathroom window, and you’ll have the perfect location for this hardy plant.
Spider Plant
Next up we have the spider plant. This is another very hardy plant that grows very well in small spaces. When choosing a container make sure to pick one that is just big enough for the plant and not much more. Spider plants enjoy growing in these tight quarters and won’t be happy in a pot that is too large.
They enjoy bright but indirect light. Putting them directly in the light, on a windowsill, for example, will often lead to burning out the leaves. Keep them a bit back from the direct light and they’ll be perfectly happy. They also do well in smaller containers, which makes them great for rooms like the bathroom where space is often at a premium.
Pothos
Pothos is another wonderful bathroom plant contender and is one of the hardiest plants around. They are extremely difficult to kill and grow well in a variety of locations including the bathroom. Even first-time gardeners should have no trouble keeping this plant flourishing.
Pothos generally do well in low light conditions which makes them an excellent choice for a bathroom. Keep them out of direct sunlight and water occasionally to keep them happy. They also respond well to humidity and aren’t as bothered by temperature swings as other plants. You want to avoid freezing temps, but the typical bathroom should be perfectly fine.
Ferns
Next on our list, we have ferns which are well known to be quite hardy and difficult to kill. There are a lot of fern options to choose from depending on your exact needs and tastes. One of our favorites is the bird’s nest fern, but other varieties will work just as well.
Ferns do have different needs depending on the variety, but many can grow in low-light conditions. Some can even be grown right in the shower, and are perfectly happy being soaked every day. Check your variety to figure out the proper care for it to thrive.
Cast Iron Plant
Last up we have the cast iron plant. With a name like that you know that it’s hard to kill. This plant is extremely hardy and grows well even in full shade, perfect for the bathroom.
It doesn’t tolerate humidity as well as some of the other plants, but can do so occasionally. This makes it a good choice for guest bathrooms which might not see regular use or have as much light. It also is quite drought tolerant, so doesn’t require a ton of watering to thrive. Check on it every few days and water when the soil is dry to the touch.
Best Plants For Your Bathroom
Hopefully, one of the above plants fits your needs and is the perfect addition to your bathroom. As noted, there are certainly more options, so don’t feel limited by our list. Keep the above environmental factors in mind, and you’ll be set to find the perfect green addition to your bathroom.
Do you have some plants in your bathroom? Did we miss your favorite bathroom plant? Let us know so we can improve our articles! We love to hear from fellow gardeners as there is always more for us to learn.
