Best plants for a bathroom

Boston fern in a bathroom

Bathrooms are a popular choice for house plants as they typically provide high levels of humidity, similar to a jungle environment, in which many indoor plants thrive. By adding some greenery, your bathroom can become a lush and inviting oasis, giving your home a ‘spa-like’ atmosphere.

House plants can add colour and style to your bathroom, bringing large or variegated leaves, height and structure, and even flowers. Studies have shown that house plants can reduce stress and boost your mood, while some can also purify the air.

Choosing a house plant for your bathroom

When choosing a house plant for your bathroom, it’s important to consider the specific conditions it has. Not all bathrooms are the same in terms of size, shape, temperature, light and humidity levels, so spend some time selecting plants that will do well in the conditions you have. For example, if your bathroom gets a lot of natural light then you will want to choose plants that can handle bright light, possibly even direct sunlight. If your bathroom is on the cooler side, you’ll need to select plants that can handle lower temperatures, particularly in winter. Do you use the bathroom regularly or is it reserved only for guests? This will affect humidity levels. Additionally, it’s important to consider the size of your bathroom and how much space you have available.

Best bathroom plants

 

Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

Snake plant, Sansevieria trifasciata
Snake plant, Sansevieria trifasciata

Snake plant is incredibly hardy and can handle low temperatures, low light, low humidity and infrequent watering, but also thrives in bathrooms. Studies have also shown that it can help to remove harmful toxins from the air.

Height x Spread: 1.2m x 50cm
Best for: cool bathrooms, low light levels, infrequent watering

 

ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

ZZ plant, Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Getty Images
ZZ plant, Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Getty Images

The zz plant is has glossy leaves and a compact shape, and is extremely easy to care for. It can also handle low temperatures, low light and low humidity, making it perfect for cool, dark rooms including a bathroom a with small window.

H x S: 90cm x 90cm
Best for: cool bathrooms, low light levels, infrequent watering

 

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)

How to grow peace lily - peace lily flowers
Peace lily flowers

Peace lily is an attractive plant with glossy, dark green ribbed leaves, with contrasting white spathes (flowers). It’s tolerant of low temperatures and low light and thrives in high humidity, making it perfect for a well-used but cooler-than-average bathroom.

H x S: 60cm x 60cm
Best for: cool bathrooms, low light and high humidity

 

Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

Boston fern in a bathroom
Boston fern in a bathroom

Boston fern thrives in bright but indirect light with good levels of humidity, making it perfect for a steamy bathroom. It does require regular watering but is otherwise easy to grow.

H x S: 90cm x 90cm
Best for: indirect bright light, high humidity

 

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum 'Variegatum'
Spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegatum’

Spider plant is one of the easiest plants to grow, and can handle high levels of humidity. It’s tolerant of low levels of temperature and light although does best in bright, indirect light.

H x S: 40cm x 60cm
Best for: cool bathrooms, high levels of humidity, medium to low light levels

 

Philodendron ‘Xanadu’

Philodendron 'Xanadu'
Philodendron ‘Xanadu’

This easy-to-grow plant has large, dramatic leaves. It tolerates high levels of humidity and low levels of light, making it ideal for a bathroom with a small window.

H x S: 1m x 1m
Best for: high humidity and low light

 

Elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta)

Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta

Elephant ears has large, velvety heart-shaped leaves in shades of lime green, purple or black. It works well as a house plant but needs moist soil and high levels of humidity, so could work in a warm, steamy bathroom. Bear in mind that  foliage is likely to die down if temperatures dip below 21°C. All parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten raw, and may cause skin irritation.

H x S: 1.5m x 1.5m
Best for: bright but indirect light, high levels of humidity

 

Aloe vera

Aloe vera
Aloe vera plants

Aloe very is easy to grow and is a common house plant due to its ability to help to soothe sunburn or skin irritations. It thrives in direct sunlight needs very little watering.

H x S: 60cm x 90cm
Best for: high levels of light, low levels of humidity

 

Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus)

Asplenium nidus in a pot
Asplenium nidus in a pot

Bird’s nest fern has an attractive habit, with compact, glossy and curly fronds. It thrives in indirect light to light shade, and high levels of humidity.

H x S: 1.5m x 90cm
Best for: light shade, high humidity

 

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

Rubber plant
Rubber plant leaves

The rubber plant is named after the rubbery white latex that runs through its stems and branches, and which was once used to make rubber. It has wide, glossy leaves. Rubber plant thrives in humid environments and can handle bright, indirect sunlight. It’s an excellent, low maintenance choice for a steamy bathroom.

H x S: 2m x 1.5m
Best for: high humidity, low light

 

Jade plant (Crassula ovata)

Jade plant growing in a pot
Jade plant growing in a pot

The jade plant is a succulent sub-shrub with jade green, fleshy leaves and thick stems that become woody with age. As a succulent, jade plant can handle direct sunlight and infrequent watering, making it ideal for a sunny bathroom that’s not used very often.

H x S: 2m x 1.5m
Best for: full sun, low humidity

 

Silver inch plant (Tradescantia zebrina)

Spiderwort growing in a pot
Silver inch plant growing in a pot

Tradescantia zebrina has variegated leaves that are green, purple and silver. It has a trailing habit so looks great in a hanging planter or on a shelf. It’s easy to grow and tolerant of neglect. It thrives in warm temperatures and indirect but bright light.

H x S: 60cm x 30cm
Best for: bright indirect light, low humidity

 

Air plant (Tillandsia)

Air plant growing in a pot
Air plant growing in a dish

Air plants don’t require soil they are epiphytes – they attach themselves to other plants or objects using their roots. They absorb nutrients and moisture from the air and rain. In the home they thrive in a warm and humid environment in bright but indirect light. They can be hung or mounted on the wall, making them a great option for small spaces.

H x S: n/a
Best for: humid bathrooms, bright but indirect light

 

String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). Getty Images
String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). Getty Images

String of pearls is a trailing succulent house plant with pea-like leaves that look like beads. In spring, the plant may produce small white, cinnamon-scented flowers. It looks lovely hanging from a shelf or planter – it’s fast growing and the tendrils can reach 1m long. It thrives in bright, indirect light and low humidity, so is ideal for a large, light bathroom that doesn’t get too steamy.

H x S: 50cm x 1m
Best for: bright but indirect light, low humidity

 

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Epipremnum aureum 'Marble Queen'. Getty Images
Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’. Getty Images

Pothos is extremely easy to grow and thrives in a number of environments, including bathrooms. It can tolerate neglect and low light levels. Train it to grow up a trellis or moss pole, or place on a shelf and use as a trailing plant. Both dark green and variegated varieties are available.

H x S: 1m x 2m
Best for: bright indirect light, high humidity

 

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)

Lucky bamboo. Getty Images
Lucky bamboo. Getty Images

Small and compact, trailing bamboo can be displayed in a variety of ways, such as in a vase or a small pot. It requires bright, indirect light and needs only be watered once a week.

H x S: 1.5m x 60cm
Best for: bright, indirect light, low humidity

 

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Hedera helix
Hedera helix

English ivy is usually found climbing walls and fences in the garden than in indoor container displays, but it lends itself well to indoor cultivation. Ivy thrives in low light levels, providing a rich, glossy green for even the shadiest corner.

H x S: up to 2m x 1m
Best for: cool draughty bathrooms, low light levels

 

Moth orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Moth orchid flowering in a bathroom
Moth orchid flowering in a bathroom

Moth orchids thrive in humidity so are ideal for well-used bathrooms. However they need a minimum temperature of 16°C all year round, so need a centrally heated bathroom in winter. Bright, filtered light is preferable, such as close to an east-facing window.

H x S: up to 50cm x 30cm
Best for: warm, humid bathrooms, bright light

Flamingo flower (Anthurium)

Anthurium in flower
Anthurium in flower

Anthuriums add an exotic touch to bathrooms, as they have heart-shaped, glossy leaves and bright red spathes. Native to tropical rainforests, they thrive in well-used, warm bathrooms.

H x S: up to 50cm x 50cm
Best for: warm, humid bathrooms, bright light

 

Adanson’s monstera (Monstera adansonii)

Monstera adansonii growing in a pot
Monstera adansonii growing in a pot

A relative of the larger Monstera deliciosa, Monstera adansonii is well suited to growing on a shelf where its fenestrate leaves are allowed to cascade down. An undemanding plant, Monstera adansonii does best in bright light with high humidity.

H x S: up to 50cm x 50cm
Best for: warm, humid bathrooms, bright light



from BBC Gardeners World Magazine https://ift.tt/HRkLz4r