It can be hard to find good plants for the low-light, high-humidity climate of your bathroom, but it’s worth the search. Plants and flowers look great everywhere, including—or maybe especially—in bathrooms, and ones that originate in the tropics, like philodendron and ficus plants, love hot and humid weather. Here’s how to choose the ones that love a steamy shower as much as you do.
What are the best plants for your bathroom?
Some plants need a light misting every once in a while to stay hydrated, even on top of watering. Boston ferns, for example, have a full bush-like plumage and are used to at least 50% humidity in the air; alocasia plants also love humid climates and have large, dark green leaves that can grow up to three feet tall. Both Boston ferns and alocasia tend to droop and show dried, brown tips when they need more humidity, and your steamy bathroom is a great place for them.
Moss is another humidity-loving plant that will thrive in your bathroom. Moss plants are bryophytes, meaning they don’t have roots or seeds, and collect nutrients from the air around them. Since they require light misting to grow, the bathroom is the perfect climate for these fuzzy plants. Some companies will even make living bath mats out of them.
What are the best flowers for your bathroom?
Orchids, which are notoriously tricky to keep alive, might be well suited for your bathroom, as they prefer damp conditions rather than getting fully wet. Peace lilies are another flower that you should consider for your bathroom, as they similarly love damp, warm climates. If well taken care of, their leaf-like white flowers bloom twice a year.
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Another plant that blooms almost all year round is the Bromeliad, which might be the strongest plants yet. The tropical plant produces bright magenta and orange color leaves that will continue to bloom for years, and they can survive in indirect or artificial sunlight, extreme cold and extreme heat. Similar to all the others, they love humid weather. Plus, they can also grow in soil-less environments like bark or charcoal mixes.
An unexpected plant you might keep in your bathroom is the ornamental pepper, which produce purple, yellow, orange, and red peppers out of their bushy green leaves. They’re native to the southern parts of the U.S. and northern parts of South America, and although the peppers are edible, they’re not known for having great flavor, so they’re more for aesthetics—hence their name.
Each of these plants can thrive in your bathroom just as long as you have a light source. Most require indirect sunlight, so as long as you have a bathroom window, you can make your bathroom into a tropical jungle, and your plants will love you for it.
