Your bathroom can be one of the best rooms in your home to be in. Or it can be bland, boring and strictly functional. Or maybe yours is somewhere in between, with a few rather random decorative extras to take the sterile edge off it. Perhaps it seems like a waste to spend money on the bathroom when there are other household projects to invest in. If that’s the problem, you can turn your bathroom into a luxurious and exotic environment for a small cash outlay, with well-chosen plants.
The bathroom can be a tricky places for plants, because it used to be a room that was designed very much for intermittent use rather than style. Some are poky and dark. If you have a bathroom that gets some good light, your task will be made much easier. The good news is that there are plants that will give a lift to even a dingy bathroom and make it a place to luxuriate. Greenery can add sophistication to a bathroom or a rustic country look when accessorized with the right furnishings.
Many of the most popular houseplants available will do just fine in most bathrooms, especially if they are reasonably well ventilated. Species like the spider plant and the peace lily are popular because they are unfussy and generally low maintenance. Indoor plants are generally chosen for their tolerance of lower light conditions, so you may even have some already in your home that will do well in a bathroom.
Bathrooms tend to be warmer and more humid than other rooms because of baths and showers. That will not suit some plants but others will thrive. African violets come from the African rainforests and like humidity and low, indirect light. Different varieties sport the most wonderful flowers, in all sorts of colors and are exceptionally easy to propagate. Just don’t splash the leaves, they don’t like it. Dieffenbachia is another leafy plant that likes humid conditions.
Plants for bathrooms with low light are also not hard to find. Aloe vera, with its succulent-like leaves is hardy and tolerant of muted light. Ferns, especially the sword fern, Nephrolepis exalta, and the asparagus fern, are happy with low light and humidity. Aspidistras are good for dark bathrooms, that aren’t especially warm and moist. Ivy tolerates darkness and the variegated types with white and silver green leaves are especially attractive.
If you want a bold tropical look in your bathroom, there are plants that will help you achieve it with ease. The sweetheart plant (Philodendron Scandens) is a good candidate if you’re looking for luxuriant growth, as are some members of the fig (Ficus) family, like the rubber tree. For statement plants consider orchids, and for a large bathroom some kinds of palms will give your bathroom a tropical touch. With moisture resistant furnishings, including planters and plant stands, you can make your bathroom into an indoor garden to relax in.