8 Indoor plants: Easy, affordable way to inject colour and life in your home via bathroom plants

August 31, 2021

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BEST INDOOR PLANTS FOR YOUR BATHROOM

Sounds good, yes? Of course, it does. However, you will need to choose your indoor plants wisely and care for them, as bathrooms tend to get steamy from hot showers and are often low in natural light.

Why plants are great in the bathroom

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There are a bunch of reasons why indoor plants are excellent in the bathroom.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, plants make us feel happy and help us sustain a connection with the outside world.

You can get creative. Mix up pot designs, sizes, foliage colors, and textures to create a stunning look in your bathroom.

Plants have many health benefits, too.

Some plants, like the peace lily and mother-in-law’s tongue, can purify the air and remove toxins, which is perfect for indoors.

Plants also absorb moisture from the air, so they could potentially reduce mold in the bathroom. With easy access to water, you’ll always remember to give your plants in the bathroom a drink, too.

How to choose the right plants

When talking about selecting the right plants for your bathroom, there are a few factors to consider.

Firstly, you need to take into account humidity.

The bathroom is one of the most humid rooms in the house, with showers and baths producing moisture that bathroom plants can absorb.

Choose plants that prefer the humidity, meaning they like to absorb moisture through the foliage, like reed palms or bromeliads.

The main issue of too much humidity is increased bacterial and fungal disease, which negatively affects the plant’s growth.

Some plants, such as succulents, don’t like excess humidity and may not thrive in the bathroom.

Next, you need to factor in how much sunlight your bathroom gets. If there’s adequate light, you have more options for plants.

If your bathroom lacks a window or does not get much natural sunlight, choose plants that prefer darker conditions.

Typically these are plants with dark green foliage, such as my personal favorite, Zanzibar gem.

You can always consider installing an LED light if your bathroom has no windows.

Finally, as the temperature in our bathrooms can rapidly change when we have showers and baths, it’s vital to select plants that can tolerate the fluctuations, as some plants won’t cope. The cast iron plant can handle temperature changes and looks fantastic, too.

Where to put your indoor plants

Same as with any room in the house, finding a place to position your plants indoors depends on the space.

Think about the different levels in the bathroom and make the most of the area.

Hanging plants are a great idea in the bathroom. You can also place the vines of trailing plants such as golden pothos on hooks or even along the shower rod.

To create a lush rainforest vibe, position bushy plants on the top and middle shelves.

I like to mix up pot styles and use a selection of plants on the vanity or windowsill to create texture and different shades of green. Plus, that’s where people’s gaze tends to be drawn.

You can find pre-potted hanging plants at nurseries such as Flower Power or the garden section of Bunnings. Many stores also sell hanging kits, including hooks.

How to care for your indoor plants

Just like small humans and fur babies, indoor plants need to be cared for, too.

One clever way to keep your indoor plants in great nick is to keep them on rotation.

If you have the room, have two or three of the same plant, keep two outside (and away from frost), and place the other in the bathroom.

Rotate them every three weeks or so to give them a bit of a recharge. This will mean you have healthy plants both indoors and outside.

A win-win if ever there was one.

It’s important to keep the leaves of your plants clean and dust-free, as dirt can block sunlight and slow the process of photosynthesis, which may result in slow growth for your plants and, worse, make them more susceptible to illness.

You can dust the leaves, or I like to plonk my plants in the shower to have a wash and drink.

Some plants, for example, ferns, tend to dry out in the cooler months, so it’s a good idea to have an atomizer spray bottle on standby to mist the leaves and plant.

Finally, feed them a liquid fertilizer once a month to ensure that your plants are happy and flourishing.