What Are the Best Bathroom Plants for Home?

You've almost completed your bathroom design or renovation, and now it's time to add the final touches with a collection of gorgeous bathroom plants.

Often the last location people consider decorating with a plant, bathrooms can be overlooked when selecting greenery for interior spaces. This is so because restrooms typically feature high humidity and little direct light.

But adding colorful plants or species with glossy green leaves can really pull a bathroom together. We've done the research for the best plants for this important zone in your home.

So if you're wondering how to choose a great plant or two for your powder room, the pros and cons of snake plants and spider plants, or which species will look good and thrive in a moist environment, we've compiled our favourite humidity-loving varieties for you.

Wondering whether to invest in Boston ferns or aloe vera? If you've ever thought, can you put plants in the bathroom? ... look no further.

Why have plants in the bathroom?

As well as being totally on-trend, there are several advantages to bathroom plants.

They can filter the air, remove impurities and bacteria, provide some greenery and nature to one of our more sterile spaces, and absorb extra moisture. They look good and create calm.

What's the best plant for a bathroom?

To help you pick plants that work in a bathroom environment and create a laid back, luxurious spa feeling, here are our top ten recommendations for the best bathroom plants.

Snake plants

The snake plant is a statement species that makes a great bathroom plant. Requiring very little water to survive, the amount of water snake plants need to grow depends primarily on how close they are to direct light.

They'll generally be alright without water for up to three weeks!

Bathroom shelves or vanities look fantastic with a snake plant, which is the ideal low-maintenance tropical plant.This resilient tiny succulent will flourish in any humid environment.

They can thrive in low light circumstances and don't require regularly wet soil.

Spider plants

One of the hardiest of the hanging plants family, the spider plant is one of the most effective air filters and low maintenance indoor plants on the market.

The spider plant is simple to grow, has lovely stripy leaves and is safe for kids and pets. Cultivate a series of spider plants which flow from one hanging basket to another to add some wow factor to an empty bathroom corner.

Peace lilies

One of the more popular bathroom plants is the peace lily, which has glossy green leaves and a seasonal bloom. They prefer a little more light, but intense sunlight can scorch the leaves, which is why they're great in bathroom settings.

As they frequently grow to be around three feet high, peace lilies are an ideal specimen to position at floor level as opposed to on a shelf or window sill. It is a lush-appearing indoor plant that will easily lighten a dark bathroom corner.

Although they do prefer light, they don't appreciate bright direct sunshine, so keep the soil moist but not soggy. They will happily flourish in a moist environment.

Fern plants

Many ferns can withstand the high humidity and temperature changes in a bathroom environment, making them some of the best plants for your washroom.

Some of them can even be grown directly in the shower stall, where they receive constant moisture. Boston fern, maidenhair fern, bird's nest fern and asparagus fern are a few potted plants that look great in a bathroom.

Invest in some new baby plants and watch them thrive!

Dragon tree

Dracaena marginata, sometimes known as the Madagascar dragon tree, is a lovely shrub with red-edged, sword shaped leaves.

The shrub may be grown all year and produces small white blooms in the spring (though it rarely flowers indoors).

The spiky indoor tree is recognised as a wonderful bathroom plant since it is so easy to care for and is almost indestructible.

A dragon tree will grow best in medium to bright indirect light. Wait until the top half of the soil surface is dry before watering to avoid drowning it.

It's a good idea to place a dragon tree on a bathroom windowsill or in a corner close to your shower for constant humidity.

Weeping fig

For larger bathroom spaces, the ficus (benjamina) tree is ideal. In tropical and subtropical climes, weeping fig grows as a sizable broadleaf evergreen tree, but it is also frequently cultivated as an indoor plant.

The ficus tree, which can live for 20 to 50 years, is renowned for its durability.

The light grey trunk of this attractive plant has slender branches with dense, glossy dark leaves that gently arch from it. The ficus tree is typically pruned to maintain a height of 3 to 6 feet indoors.

The trunks are occasionally braided for aesthetic appeal. Since it grows quickly, you might need to repot it once a year, but for optimum results, do it in the first few days of spring. Note: Benjamina can be toxic to babies and pets.

Philodendrons

Famously durable, fast-growing and easy-care, the Philodendron plant type contains hundreds of beautiful green-leafed varieties. Their typically large, verdant foliage brings a touch of tropical flair to your decor.

Philodendrons consist of two species: vining and non-climbing plants. Growing to several feet tall, the vining variety usually requires something to climb on, such as along a windowsill, down a bathroom wall or flowing from a series of hanging baskets.

Non-climbers make excellent tropical plants for containers, and their basic-care routine will suit novice plant parents. Place your philodendron in low to bright, indirect light.

It will do well under bright fluorescent light, so is ideal for smaller bathrooms without direct sun. They can tolerate shady spots too. Water when the top few centimetres of soil dries out.

*NB: Best planted in the spring, but can be started with success at any time of year. Toxic to pets and humans if ingested.

Aloe vera

A sensible and practical option when choosing bathroom plants. To begin with, the aloe plant has some really great medicinal benefits, including the ability to heal wounds, reduce inflammation, relieve sunburn, and more.

Simply cut a small portion of the leaf off to reveal the aloe gel. This, together with the fact that they require little maintenance, makes them excellent bathroom plants.

Think of them as a living addition to the bathroom medicine cabinet!

Every two to three weeks is sufficient for watering an aloe vera plant, which can endure very little moisture. Although they enjoy a bright, sunny location, indirect light is preferable.

Begonia

Begonias love humidity and a special place in the bathroom with bright indirect light is ideal. There are three different types of begonias: tuberous, fibrous and rhizomatous.

The tuberous begonias love the higher humidity where the two other types tolerate dryer areas of the home much better. So look for tuberous varieties.

Only water when they need it as the plants are susceptible to root rot and over watering. Sometimes experts say its best to wait until signs of dryness appear such as droopy leaves before watering.

Their array of colors can perk up any bathroom and make for a cheery morning bathroom routine!

Air plants

If you're a gateway home gardener, air plants are perfect plants to choose for your bathroom. These amazing plants can exist without soil. They only require a good watering or a two- or three-hour soak in water every few weeks.

This opens up a variety of presentation options for you. To draw attention to your air plant, place it in a glass vase with pebbles or shells below a bathroom window, plant in a hanging basket or find a rustic piece of wood to place it on, nestled on a bathroom shelf.

Can you put succulents in bathroom?

The short answer is yes, you can put succulents in the bathroom, although some succulents will do better there than others.

The majority of succulents, though not all of them, are naturally resilient and can flourish in a humid environment.

The best succulents for bathrooms with indirect light, filtered light, or low light circumstances are those that enjoy partial to full shadow and high humidity. Our favourite succulents as bathroom plants are the snake plant and aloe.

Should you put your plants in the shower?

Although some people may find it strange to have a plant in the shower, this can actually one of the best locations for a bathroom plant to be because it gives them constant humidity.

You can place certain plants in the shower long term to give your bathroom a rainforest vibe, or pop your plants in there on a regular short term basis for an added soaking.

What plant can you put in the shower?

Since some houseplants prefer extremely high humidity, you can effectively grow some ferns, pothos, air plants, bromeliads, and even orchids in the shower.

Considering that they are often tropical plants from rainforests, very humid environments can be ideal for them.

Why do people put eucalyptus in the shower?

A trending shower plant is the eucalyptus. Also known as a "bath bouquet", by hanging a eucalyptus from the shower head, the aromatherapy properties of the plant are released via the steam and heat from the shower. Blissful.

Why should you not put a cactus in the bathroom?

Cacti are from the desert, so they do not like wet environments. If you want to keep your cactus alive, the bathroom is a no go.

The takeaway

Bathroom plants are a wonderful way to bring more nature into your home. Coupled with other natural textures, these living, breathing symbols of calm and growth are a must.

Whether your decor evokes gracious country living or a contemporary urban feel, adding bathroom plants can enhance your living space.