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Incorporate these shower plants into your bathroom for a green infusion

These 7 plants help greenify your bathroom

Bathroom with plants
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As you turn your home into a jungle, transform your bathroom into paradise with the help of hanging shower plants. Adding extra greenery to your bathroom can switch up the ambiance for a lush vibe — it’ll be like taking a shower in the great outdoors while enjoying the comforts of your home. When picking out shower plants, keep humidity-loving species at the top of your list: Think ferns, figs, and more!

Curious about incorporating tropical vibes into this nook of your home? Read on to learn how to hang plants in the bathroom and which plants work best for this steamy environment.

Things to consider

Humidity and light

The bathroom is ideal for houseplants because of its humidity. However, keep in mind other requirements that your plants will need. Before you bring plants into your bathroom, consider factors such as light and temperature. If your bathroom doesn’t get a lot of light, invest in supplementary grow lights or pick plants that can thrive in low-light conditions. Also, take into account your bathroom temperature since some plants don’t tolerate cold drafts.

How to hang the houseplants

Decide how you’ll hang your houseplants. Get creative with placement when building a plant paradise in the shower. Showerheads, caddies, shower rods, and curtain rods are great spots for hanging foliage, given that your planter isn’t too heavy. You can also take advantage of heavy-duty utility hooks that adhere to tiles.

To hang plants in the bathroom, plastic planters are the safest bet, as they’re lightweight and easy to clean. Make sure that you don’t place live plants where water can directly reach them. Your soil can become waterlogged, and worse, your plants can get root rot. If water touches your plants every so often, go for planters with drainage holes to let out excess water.

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the best shower plants to bring into your bathroom!

Fern plant
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1. Ferns

Ferns make for hardy bathroom plants because they tolerate cooler temperatures and love moisture. They can also thrive in lower light conditions. Known for their full look inside of hanging baskets, Boston ferns, for example, can tolerate low light. If you have extra bright indirect light to spare, consider something like a maidenhair fern when picking out shower plants.

Spider plant
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2. Spider plants

Spider plants, also known as chlorophytum comosum, are the gifts that keep on giving. They’ll produce spiderette offshoots with adequate humidity and light. Keep the baby spiders on for a trailing look or trim them off to propagate and share with friends. Every so often, tiny white flowers will also bloom from the spider plant.

Pothos plant
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3. Pothos plants

Beloved for their easygoing nature, pothos plants thrive in a wide range of environments. They can tolerate low-light conditions but also thrive with bright indirect light. While they don’t need moisture as much as many houseplants, pothos appreciate the extra humidity in your bathroom. They shoot out leaves quickly, yielding an attractive vining look. These plants come with different variegation patterns, whether you love a jade, golden, neon, or marble pothos.

Prayer plant
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4. Prayer plants

Prayer plants have a reputation for getting crispy edges since they require high humidity, but this makes them perfect as shower companions. These plants actually encompass a variety of genera: maranta, stromanthe, ctenanthe, and calathea. They come with beautifully patterned leaves that fold up at night and lower during the daytime, resembling hands in prayer. Many are sensitive to the minerals in hard water, so install a shower filter or keep them away from direct contact with your water stream.

Eucalyptus branch
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5. Eucalyptus branches

Eucalyptus plants in showers have been all over social media. Snip off eucalyptus branches and keep them in your shower for around two months until they dry out completely. Tie them to your showerhead with twine for extra flair in your bathroom. When you shower, the eucalyptus releases oils that produce a soothing and aromatherapeutic smell.

Weeping fig
Supertrooper/Shutterstock

6. Weeping figs

Weeping figs, scientifically known as ficus benjamina, love a steamy environment, so they’re perfect as bathroom plants. Figs can be picky, but they’ll be happy as long as you give them bright indirect light. Keep in mind that a weeping fig may drop leaves if you leave it in a cold and drafty room, so make sure that your bathroom doesn’t get too cold.

Hanging air plant
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7. Air plants

To avoid tracking soil all over your shower, air plants, or Tillandsia, are a one-and-done deal. As their name implies, these plants do not need soil to thrive — they simply live off of the moisture in the air. When you have air plants in your shower, make sure they’re not in direct contact with the shower stream. Every week or so, you can soak them for up to an hour in plain water. You’ll usually know that it’s time to soak your plant when it looks a little curled up. If your air plant starts putting out offshoots, you can separate the pup and share it with a fellow indoor plant enthusiast.

With a few adjustments and tools, you can place a variety of different plants in the shower. Adding foliage to your bathroom is a win-win: Your plants love living in a humid sauna, and you can enjoy a green, spa-like environment.

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Stacey Nguyen
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