Whether you’ve seen it on Pinterest or in a friend’s bathroom, growing plants in your bathroom is all the rage. While plants in bathrooms have been around for a while, a newer trend is hanging plants from your showerhead. If you’re unfamiliar with this idea or perhaps just looking for some tips on how to implement plants into your shower more effectively, read on for all the details on showerhead plants!
Turn your boring shower into a relaxing rainforest retreat with these hanging shower plants that thrive in humidity Adding gorgeous greenery to your bathroom not only looks beautiful but also purifies the air and reduces stress
Hanging plants in the shower is a hot home decor trend for good reason. The naturally humid environment of the bathroom allows tropical plants to thrive. Let’s explore the top picks for shower plants and how to care for them.
Why Add Plants to Your Shower?
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Purify the air – Houseplants naturally filter toxins and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. This improves air quality and health
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Increase humidity – Plants release moisture into the air through transpiration, boosting humidity This helps counter the drying effect of hot showers
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Reduce mold – By absorbing ambient moisture, plants like ferns prevent condensation buildup that causes mold.
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Relieve stress – Greenery triggers the release of natural feel-good chemicals and lowers cortisol levels. Plants create a tranquil spa-like ambiance.
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Enjoy nature – Bringing the outdoors inside connects us to nature, which studies show reduces anxiety and elevates mood.
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Decorate stylishly – Hanging plants add life and a tropical vibe to boring bathroom spaces. It’s an easy way to decorate without remodeling.
Best Low-Light Shower Plants
The humidity may be high, but bathrooms often lack bright light. Fortunately, many tropical plants thrive in low-light humid conditions.
Air Plants
Air plants perfectly suit showers as epiphytes that absorb moisture and nutrients from the air rather than soil. Just mount them on the walls with fishing line or place them in seashells. With spiky, sculptural foliage, over 500 air plant species exist in shades of green, red, orange, and purple. Avoid soaking them during showers.
Ferns
Delicate ferns replicate tropical understory plant life. They flourish with bathroom humidity and indirect light. Try dainty maidenhair ferns, bold Boston ferns with arching fronds, or the bird’s nest fern’s rippled leaves. Water 1-2 times per week and mist occasionally.
Orchids
The moth orchid’s prolific blooms and the lady slipper orchid’s unique pouch-shaped flowers are bathroom-friendly. Provide air circulation and medium light. Water once a week and fertilize monthly.
Bromeliads
With colorful bracts and Tank-forming leaves that hold water, bromeliads are low maintenance. The family includes air plants plus vivid plants like the flame violet. Let soil dry between waterings and provide indirect sunlight.
Philodendrons
Over 400 philodendron species exist, from trailing vines to upright types with dramatic split leaves. All thrive in low light and tolerate overwatering. Wipe leaves often to increase light absorption.
Lucky Bamboo
A type of dracaena, lucky bamboo grows in soil or water. Its braided stems make a sculptural addition to showers. Indirect light keeps it thriving. Change water weekly and avoid chlorinated tap water.
Best High Humidity Plants
Tropical plants that relish humidity are perfect for the moist shower environment. Consider these options that also handle low light:
Peperomia
With over 1000 species, peperomia offer varied textures like trailing string of turtles or watermelon’s waxy leaves. Bright to low light suits them. Allow the topsoil to dry between waterings.
Pitcher Plants
Exotic pitcher plants have cupped leaves that trap insects. They relish humidity and filtered light. Use distilled water and keep soil moist but not soaked. Beware their weak root systems.
Staghorn Ferns
Staghorn and elkhorn ferns have leathery leaves with fuzzy, antler-like edges. These epiphytes thrive mounted on driftwood or bark. Mist often and allow to dry between waterings.
Calatheas
Called prayer plants for their nightly leaf-folding, calatheas come in colorful varieties like the rattlesnake plant and peacock plant. They need consistent moisture and indirect sunlight.
Gesneriads
Including African violets and lipstick plants, gesneriads produce colorful flowers. They prefer humid environments with medium to low light. Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings.
Bromeliads
With striking foliage and blooms, bromeliads range from ground-dwelling types to epiphytic air plants. Most require bright, indirect light. Water the central cup but avoid soaking the soil.
Best Trailing Shower Plants
Filling vertical space in the shower is easy with trailing plants. Try these cascading greenery options:
Pothos
An indoor favorite, pothos thrives in low light and irregular watering, making it perfect to hang in showers. Its heart-shaped satiny leaves trail 8-10 feet. Wipe dust off leaves occasionally to allow light absorption.
String of Pearls
Also called string of beads, its plump foliage on vining stems looks beautiful draping shower walls. Provide bright light to prevent leaf-drop and reduce water slightly in winter.
Spider Plants
Spider plants produce arching ribbon-like leaves from rosettes, with baby plantlets on stems. They tolerate low light and thrive in showers. Water when the soil dries out.
Wandering Jew
This trailing plant has striking purple, pink, silver, or cream-striped leaves. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings and provide indirect sunlight. Limit exposure to shower water.
Arrowhead Vine
Also called goosefoot, its variegated leaves come in colors like pink, white, and red. It tolerates low light but thrives in bright spots. Water when the top inch of soil dries out.
Friendship Plant
The shiny, rounded leaves on slim trailing stems look elegant in hanging baskets. Provide medium light and reduce water in winter. Wipe dust off leaves occasionally.
Caring for Shower Plants
Bathroom humidity helps shower plants thrive with minimal care. Follow these tips:
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Use plastic or glazed ceramic pots that won’t transfer moisture. Ensure pots have drainage holes.
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Water when the top inch of soil is dry and mist plants occasionally. Reduce water in winter.
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Wipe dust off plant leaves every few weeks to maximize light absorption.
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Mount epiphytic plants like staghorn ferns on bark or driftwood, not soil.
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Avoid direct shower spray on most plants. Mount out of range or temporarily move plants when showering.
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Open bathroom windows occasionally to prevent excessive humidity.
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Prune trailing plants when they get unruly. Trim dead fronds on ferns.
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Fertilize in spring and summer with balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength.
With the right plants and care, your shower can feel like a tropical oasis. Just avoid overwatering and provide adequate light for your plants to thrive. A humid bathroom offers ideal conditions for many tropical beauties.
Why should I put plants in my shower?
There are a variety of reasons to add plants to your shower! First of all, it will brighten up a space that can feel pretty utilitarian. A little pop of green may be just the decor punch you have been looking for to complete the space. In fact, it may even make your bathroom feel more spa-like and therefore more relaxing.
Second, there are a variety of proven benefits to your health. Let’s take a look:
Plants can improve your air quality.
Now, of course this is true both in and out of the shower space, but it’s an important benefit. After all, who doesn’t want cleaner air and fewer toxins? The way plants accomplish this feat is by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen which is a process you probably learned back in middle school science. However, did you know that in the process the plant also filters the air? Scientists are still researching just which plant species are the most effective and how many plants you need in order to have a significant reduction in toxins, but the main takeaway point is that plants will work to purify you air and remove toxins as they go through photosynthesis.
Plants can help relieve stress.
Study after study has shown that houseplants reduce stress. Part of this may stem from a microbe in potting soil called mycobacterium vaccae or what is called in layman’s terms “outdoorphins.” These are basically natural antidepressants which can reduce stress and improve mood. That’s why potting plants can have a particularly satisfying effect. However, houseplants also reduce stress through simply bringing nature indoors. As increasingly indoor and sedentary humans, we crave connections to nature and even just having a plant in the shower can help us relax and feel more grounded and connected.
Plants can increase energy and focus.
Did you know that plants can increase your productivity by up to 15%? Well, now you do. While the shower may not be the place you plan to be the most productive, having a better mood and improved concentration is something most people wouldn’t want to turn down. Specifically, this can be ideal if you’re a morning shower person as it can set you up for a great day. However, the benefits aren’t lost on late-night showerers either as having a better mood can help you calm down to rest.
Now that we’ve examined some general benefits of plants, let’s take a look at why the shower specifically is a great spot for houseplants.
There’s plenty of moisture…and plants can help absorb it.
Ever had a moldy shower curtain? I think we’ve all been there at one point or another. Adding a plant to your shower can help reduce this problem as plants require moisture to live and will basically suck it out of the air to use for themselves. Now, this won’t entirely eliminate all mold from your bathroom, but it may help you to keep its spread down and combined with other common-sense habits like stretching the shower curtain out to dry after use, you may be able to stamp out your mold and moisture problems for good.
There’s often extra space.
The rest of your bathroom may be a tight fit, depending on your floorplan. However, it’s rare that you really need every square inch of your shower, especially if the plant is hanging. This means that the opportunity cost of putting a plant in your shower is lower than using up valuable horizontal space or limited towel hooks to hang a plant from in the main part of the room. Just one more reason to stick that plant in your shower!
Plants will be healthy there.
The majority of plants love the shower environment which means less work for you and fewer dead or dying plants! Win-win for everyone!
What plants are best to hang from my showerhead?
Now that you’re convinced of all the reasons to add a plant to your showerhead, let’s get down to specifics of which plants will thrive the most. There are a couple of factors to take into account when choosing a plant.
First, what sort of lighting do you have? My current bathroom has no windows, so I’d pick a plant that doesn’t require much light, such as a golden pothos. However, some bathrooms are flooded with light from windows, and in those cases, a plant that welcomes more light would be advisable, such as a monstera, which thrives in bright areas with indirect sunlight.
You also want to choose a plant that will thrive in high-humidity conditions. Luckily, this means you get to consider cool tropical plants like snake plants, but don’t write off plants that prefer cooler conditions, such as ferns. Your main criteria should be finding plants that can tolerate – and even appreciate – humidity regardless of what temperature they typically grow in. However, a lot of humidity-loving plants do tend to originate in the tropics and rainforest areas so bear that in mind.
One other factor that is easily forgotten is size. If you’re going to hang this plant from your showerhead, you’ll probably want to start with something small that is easily hangable from your specific shower setup. You may also opt to place a pot in your shower floor on potentially on a shelf, in which case you have more flexibility in terms of size, but still be mindful of the floor or shelf space it will take up.
Finally, you’ll want to pick a plant that you can care for. For example, I am not normally great with houseplants, but I can keep snake plants and pothos plants thriving against all odds, so I’d probably pick one of those to start out with in my shower. If you want a challenge, then, by all means try something new. But if you’re looking for a safe and stable plant, try doing some research first on the specific plant, its care needs, and difficulty level before buying.
Bathroom Plants – Do And Don’t
FAQ
What is the best plant to hang in the shower?
English Ivy is known for being a tough and hardy plant that is easy to care for. It can handle low light conditions, making it a good choice for rooms that receive little natural light. The plant can also tolerate temperature and humidity fluctuations, making it one of the best plants to hang in the shower.
What plants are good to keep in the shower?
Air Plants
Epiphytic plants that get nutrition through moisture in the air instead of through roots in soil are a natural choice for a shower. “I have a couple of air plants that live in my shower window,” Lalicata says. She recommends hanging a staghorn fern mounted to a board in a brightly-lit shower.
What plant do people hang in their shower?
“Hanging eucalyptus in the shower may allow a diffusion of its active agents and can provide the health impacts of eucalyptus by inhaling it in a relatively confined and relaxing place,” says Dr. Tylor.
What should I hang in my shower?
Hanging fresh or dried eucalyptus in a shower can reduce inflammation, increase energy levels and help people breathe easier. According to the Martha Stewart website, eucalyptus has flavonoids and tannins that help curb inflammation.
Can you hang plants in a bathroom?
Hanging plants in your bathroom can be a great way to brighten up your space and add some life. There are a few ways to go about hanging plants in your shower or bathroom. One of the most commonly envisioned hanging plants in the shower is eucalyptus. Some people like to hang their potted plants from a hook on the ceiling or wall.
Which plants like living in a shower?
But which plants like living in a bathroom, even in your shower? A few houseplants like very humid conditions; you can grow some ferns, pothos, air plants, bromeliads and even orchids successfully to bring the beauty of the rainforest into your shower.
Can you hang Pothos in the shower?
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) In the bathroom, hanging plants keeps them from getting too wet—and can add to a wild, natural vibe. Pothos is a super easy houseplant to grow and a trailing plant that’s a great candidate for hanging in the shower. Plant a pot of pothos in a medium-light or bright corner.
What makes a good shower plant?
A good shower plant should be able to tolerate moisture and thrive in the high humidity and low light conditions commonly found in bathrooms. Are you stumped about which one will offer a lush and vibrant oasis without requiring constant attention? Here are 15 shower plants that will thrive in your bathroom. Want more gardening tips?
Can you put cactus in a shower?
Indoor plants grow better in the higher humidity of a bathroom. Plus, they look great, help filter indoor air, and are convenient—you don’t even have to move the plants in the shower to water them. But you can’t put just any plant into any shower and make it work. A drought-resistant cactus, for instance, would make a poor shower plant.
Can you hang Eucalyptus in a shower?
In this instance, the eucalyptus is often already cut from the growing plant. Once cut, hanging the plant directly from the shower head is an excellent choice. The shower’s heat and steam will help release the plant’s essential oils, creating an incredible-smelling bathroom oasis.