Bathroom plants: our top 10

Frederike

I am a student of agricultural sciences and a real country kid. At home, I love tending my small vegetable garden and spending time out in nature. When not outdoors, I love to write. Beyond gardening and writing, however, I am particularly passionate about wildlife.

Favourite fruit: currants and raspberries
Favourite vegetables: salsify, savoy cabbage and potatoes

From drab bathroom to wellness oasis – here you can learn which plants are perfect to turn your bathroom into a green paradise.

Green bathroom plants — Transform your bathroom into a green paradise [Photo: Photographee.eu/ Shutterstock.com]

Houseplants are a great addition to any room. They provide a better indoor climate, are decorative and simply make the apartment more comfortable. Therefore, even in the bathroom houseplants are an absolute must. But not every plant is suitable for transforming the bathroom into a green oasis of well-being. The reason for this is the different site conditions that prevail in many bathrooms: Showers and baths create high humidity, which not every plant can tolerate. Also, the temperature in the bathroom is often higher than in the rest of the house. But the biggest limitations in the bathroom occur due to poor lighting conditions – many bathrooms have only one small window, which hardly lets in any sunlight. Nevertheless, find out about the best bathroom plants here.

Contents

1. Parlour palm
2. Orchid
3. Aloe vera
4. Pothos
5. Cast-iron plant
6. Sword fern
7. ZZ plant
8. Bromeliad
9. Tillandsia
10. Peace lily

1. Parlour palm

For maritime flair and vacation feelings, you do not need to travel far – sometimes just stepping into your own bathroom is enough. Especially if the parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) stands here: with its elegant, slightly overhanging fronds, the parlour palm immediately reminds of sun, sea, and beach. In fact, the exotic visitor to the bathroom is even relatively low maintenance. The only important thing is regular watering, without waterlogging – that is all the palm needs to be happy.

Green parlor palm — With its elegant, slightly overhanging fronds, the mountain palm will immediately remind you of sun, sea and the beach [Photo: cocone/ Shutterstock.com]

2. Orchid

The orchid (Orchidacea) is probably at the same time one of the most demanding, but also one of the most beautiful houseplants. Already in the location, the orchid is picky: most orchid species like a lot of light and heat, but temperatures below 15 °C do not go at all. High airs are also popular with the orchid – so a window spot in a warm bathroom can definitely meet the orchid’s high standards. Nevertheless, you should not simply move your orchid from the living room to the bathroom because orchids can be quite sensitive to sudden changes of location. However, if you want to get a new orchid, the bathroom is quite a good choice of location.

3. Aloe vera

Aloe vera is extremely popular, not only as a medicinal plant. Also as a houseplant aloe inspires more and more people in recent years because it is easy to care for and extremely robust. This makes the plant especially suitable for beginners because it is almost impossible to kill. Aloe vera also thrives in the bathroom and does not even need additional watering (depending on how much moisture accumulates in the bathroom). Of course, the Aloe vera has just as much visual appeal and fits perfectly with modern interior design with its upright, pointed shoots.

4. Pothos

You have only a small bathroom and therefore no space for a sprawling houseplant? No problem – the pothos (Epipremnum) fits into really any room because it hardly takes up any space as a hanging plant. Nevertheless, the plant can become the centrepiece of your bathroom because despite its small footprint, it has a high decorative value. Thus, it often bears a beautiful multicoloured leaf colouration and can reach incredible lengths with its shoots.

Green devil's ivy — The devil’s ivy suits itself for small restrooms [Photo: Myimagine/ Shutterstock.com]

5. Cast-iron plant

Resistant, easy to clean and also exceedingly decorative? If you are looking for these characteristics, you are sure to find them in the cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior). In the past, the cobbler’s palm was often found as a decoration in gloomy cobbler’s workshops, which is why it still bears its unusual name. But even in the bathroom the cast-iron plant feels comfortable because it grows even in the shade without any problems.

6. Sword fern

Wild jungle flair is brought to your bathroom by the sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) straight from the tropical regions. Even if the sword fern does not score with colourful flowers, it has now established itself as a houseplant. The reason for this is its filigree leaflets, which – together with its dense growth – make it a real eye-catcher. In the house, the care of the sword fern is considered difficult, but it is made for the bathroom: no direct sunlight, high humidity and few drafts ensure that the sword fern feels good all around.

7. ZZ plant

Originally from East Africa, the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) does not mind heat or high humidity. But even otherwise evergreen plant is perfect for the bathroom. Thus, the ZZ plant is considered extremely robust and frugal, and even thrives in the shade without problems. The plant is also visually not to be sneezed at: With its shiny dark green leaves and upright growth, the ZZ plant is a great eye-catcher.

A tall zz-plant — The ZZ plant is rather modest [Photo: New Africa/ Shutterstock.com]

8. Bromeliad

If you do not fancy boring green plants, you should definitely take a closer look at the bromeliad (Bromelia). With its extravagant appearance and bright colours, the bromeliad is the undisputed star among plants and attracts all eyes. Especially the colourful bracts of the plant, which can be found almost in all colours, directly create a tropical atmosphere. Since the bromeliad is at home in the tropics, it prefers a warm and humid location without direct sunlight – so in the bathroom it almost always feels right at home.

9. Tillandsia

Everyone knows them, but no one knows what they are called: we are talking about tillandsia (Tillandsia). With their extravagant shapes and enormous variety, tillandsias are the perfect ornamental plants and invite you to collect and discover them. Especially as decoration, the plants are very popular because they have a special feature: as so-called “air plants”, the tillandsias do not need soil to grow, but only an object to which they can adhere. So, they can be spectacularly staged, for example, as living wall pictures. Tillandsias absorb water through the air, which is why the high humidity in the bathroom is ideal for them.

10. Peace lily

The peace lily (Spathiphyllum) has long been one of the most popular houseplants of all. No wonder, after all, the plant impresses not only with its appearance, but also with its easy-care nature. Especially its flowers with the white bracts, which contrast nobly with the dark green foliage, make the peace lily a stylish feast for the eyes. At the same time, except for regular watering, the plant requires almost no care, making it suitable even for beginners. In the bathroom, the peace lily suits especially well that it likes both the shade and high humidity. In addition, the peace lily offers another advantage: the plant is considered one of the best air-purifying plants.

white-bloom-peace-lily — The flowers with the white bracts make the monocot a stylish eyecatcher [Photo: Little honey/ Shutterstock.com]

Tip: For houseplants to remain healthy and strong in the long term, they need sufficient nutrients. Therefore, fertilise regularly with a suitable fertiliser such as our Plantura Liquid Houseplant Food. This is simply administered through the irrigation water.