30 Plants That Will Transform Your Bathroom into a "Jungle Oasis"
House Beautiful March 26, 2025
Main
House Beautiful March 26, 2025
Main
Bathroom design often revolves around hard fixtures—intricate tile patterns, fanciful wallpapers, and gilded hardware all play a semi-permanent role in your space. While these features bring serious style to a bathroom, their permanence makes achieving a bathroom refresh without a renovation—or at least a remodel—difficult. But we've got a hack for transforming your space into a zen oasis. May we recommend a selection of bathroom plants?
There's more you can do to spruce up your spa-like bathroom than adding stylish hand towels or swapping out your shower curtain. The best bathroom plants offer a low-maintenance design element that livens up the traditional stark environment. And it's a natural fit, too, as plants thrive in warm, moist air.
Sunlight and water are the most important elements to consider when choosing plants for your bathroom. In a windowless space, focus on incorporating low-light plants, or installing a grow light to keep your bathroom plants thriving. High-humidity-loving plant varieties also do well in bathrooms, especially if you regularly take steamy showers. Some solid bathroom plant options, such as eucalyptus and aloe, even have leaves you can use for medicinal purposes. Bathrooms are also great spaces for hanging plants and trailing vines, which add a decor element to the bare walls.
Ahead, we're highlighting the 30 best bathroom plants, no matter how much light your space gets.
If you're looking for a bathroom plant that loves humid environments but doesn't need bright sunlight, ferns are the way to go. This rabbit foot's fern is a great introductory option for novice plant parents. Just be sure to mist this plant every few days to keep moisture levels high.
For those with ample bathroom floor space, why not invest in a burgundy rubber tree? The only extra maintenance this plant needs, outside of the traditional low to medium light and weekly watering, is a dusting. These leaves collect dust rather easily, which can prevent them from soaking in enough sun rays. Wipe down the leaves with a damp cloth for the best results.
A Mediterranean tree may seem like an odd choice for a bathroom plant, but the olive tree is secretly low-maintenance. It loves humidity and warmth but is low-light tolerant. This tree is ideal for filling that empty corner and providing some vertical interest. Keep watering to a minimum, only adding more when the soil is completely dried out.
A popular, humidity-loving variety, the peace lily boasts beautiful white blooms that grow with enough natural light. Peace lily plants also help to purify the air, which is great for bathrooms after a deep clean. Just beware that, if ingested, this plant is toxic to both humans and pets—keep it out of reach of curious critters.
For a pop of color, we recommend this bright pink tropical plant. Arriving in a 2-inch planter, this bathroom plant is ideal for small spaces. This variety is also air purifying, helping to rid your bathroom of mold, mildew, and other airborne toxins.
This plant has tropical origins which means it prefers warm and humid spaces. In order to flower, the Anthurium requires bright, indirect light; place it on your bathroom windowsill for best results. If you have a low-light environment, you won't get blooms, but the glossy leaves are beautiful on their own.
While this coffee plant won't produce edible beans, the ruffled leaves make for a beautiful bathroom shelf companion. This plant can thrive in both indirect and low-light conditions, but just be sure to water it more when sunlight is brighter. High humidity can help with the leaves' glossy appearance.
English ivy is a classic bathroom plant that cleans the air and thrives in low light. Hang it up high to let the trailing vines do their thing and create a showstopping look. This plant can quickly become unruly due to its fast-growing nature, so keep an eye on it and help direct its growth with plant hooks or indoor trellises.
Unlike other ferns, the blue star prefers less humidity and more consistent watering. You can expect the dramatic leaves to fill in for a lush and tropical look. Place yours in bright indirect sunlight—perhaps on a windowsill—for the best results. This plant can crisp up quite quickly; consider using a self-watering planter or watering stake to ensure it gets enough moisture.
Low-light tolerant and nontoxic to pets, the kangaroo fern prefers the ample mist and humidity of the forest floor—but will settle for the ample mist and humidity of your bathroom. It's used to growing side to side rather than upward, so it's a great option for high coverage. Be sure to place this plant on its own or with plenty of space to allow the leaves to fully spread out.
A classic fern, the Boston appreciates a lot of mist and humidity—like in your bathroom after a lengthy shower. It’s ideal for filling sparse corners, so hang this plant up high to make the most of its spreading and draping leaves. It needs occasional sunlight, so if your bathroom doesn't have a window, move it into a brighter spot for a bit or set it under a grow light.
Low-light cutie-pie pothos plants are great for windowless or basement bathrooms. They’re incredibly easy to care for and need water only when the soil is completely dry. Their low-maintenance care requirements make them ideal for beginner plant parents.
Drought tolerant and nearly indestructible, the ZZ plant is great for people who are just getting into gardening. When cared for properly (meaning you water it when the soil is completely dry to the touch and give it low to medium light), it can grow up to three feet tall, making it the perfect accent for a large walk-in shower.
Mimicking praying hands, this plant curls up at night and then reopens with the sunrise. That means it's happy, we promise! Its unique striped leaves love low to bright indirect light and filtered water, which helps them avoid developing scorched-looking edges. Normal tap water is completely fine for a prayer plant, but the color may become more vibrant when distilled water is used.
The self-propagating pilea, aka pancake plant, UFO plant or Chinese money plant, thrives in tropical environments, making it the perfect bathroom plant candidate. However, it does best in bathrooms that get bright indirect light. It has flat, round leaves that make it look cute and playful, and you can pull off the "pups" it produces to give to friends and family.
If you can't resist a trailing plant, go for a golden pothos, which will make itself and all its vines at home in your bathroom. It can handle low to bright sunlight if the light is indirect, but the tips of its leaves will turn brown if the air is too dry. Focus on misting and adding humidity wherever possible.
Majesty palms love humidity, so your bathroom is the perfect spot for them—so long as you have space for a bigger plant. They love the occasional misting, and while they can handle lower light, they do best in sunny locations—a south- or east-facing window is best. If you notice the leaves crisping up or turning brown, give your plant less sun and more water.
Sometimes the best bathroom plants are the ones that require zero effort. If you’re looking for a decorative plant to liven up your bathroom wall, opt for a "living wall." This vibrant green moss has been preserved in its prime so you won't have to do anything to keep it in tip-top shape. Simply hang it up.
The aloe plant is a low-key succulent that's perfect for a first-time plant owner or anyone with a busy lifestyle. Just place it in a sunny spot; all it really needs is access to bright light (indirect is fine, though direct sunlight will be better and might even make your plant yield coral-hued flowers). Its leaves are filled with gel that's great for soothing sunburns and skin irritations.
Beloved by everyone from beginners to plant pros due to its stunning good looks and easy care requirements—the ever-popular snake plant (aka sansevieria) is a great option because it can live in any humidity level and tolerate low or bright indirect light.
Keep the stunning calathea in medium indirect light with moderate to more humid environment, and it's sure to do well. Think of it as a symbiotic relationship: Your bathroom's environment will help it live a healthy life, and its beautiful foliage will give your bathroom new life too. It's a great choice for your bedroom too.
If you love the whimsical, secret garden vibes of ivy, why not bring that aesthetic inside? With a classic countryside charm, potted ivy is resilient and grows pretty much wherever it can find room. The plant likes medium light and humidity. Hang it in a basket for maximum vining effect.
Don't let the name fool you: These unique plants need more than air to survive. You water air plants by soaking them, and they like moderate to high humidity and bright indirect light. They're the perfect choice if you have a bathroom window to perch them near.
With its iconic tropical leaves, the monstera plant (aka Swiss cheese plant) is always a stunner. A great houseplant, it can live in a lot of different environments, including your bathroom. It's able to handle low light, though it will do better in brighter, indirect light, and any level of humidity suits it.
Watermelon peperomia loves humidity, warm temperatures, plenty of moisture, and medium to bright indirect light. Mist it regularly and it’ll be quite the happy camper in your bathroom.
Typically speaking, lucky bamboo grows in water and is a low-maintenance pick that'll also give your bathroom some serious spa vibes. It's a great plant for low-light spaces, so if your bathroom doesn't get a lot of sun, don't worry—bamboo will still grow successfully there.
Not only is philodendron a great plant choice for beginners, but it's also ideal for a bathroom. The higher the humidity, the bigger it'll grow. Plus, it's a trailing plant—perfect if you want a little drama.
This purple trailing plant isn't just a stunner, it's a plant guaranteed to live happily in your bathroom. Higher humidity levels will keep it thriving. You'll know if it's too dry if the leaves start to turn brown.
Like snake plants, spider plants prefer bright light but will happily live in low light. They can withstand less humidity but prefer a moderately humid environment. Keep yours on a shelf or hang it from the ceiling, and wait for it to produce baby spider plants that you can add to your own collection or share with friends.
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