It's a common tip that if you want to give your tropical houseplants a treat, let them sit in the bathroom after a shower. But what about succulents?...
We spotted this image via the Living Etc. galleries. We love the modern look of the succulents in the bathroom and are considering putting some in our bathroom. Our bathroom is pretty open and has a nice window, but are wondering if it will hold up around the humidity? Does anyone have succulents in their bathroom? Any tips? Good/bad experiences/results? Are there any other recommendations for good houseplants in the bathroom that won't require a lot of maintenance?
Related links:
Comments (24)
i want to know where to get the drainage dishes bellow the terra cotta pots. anyone know?
In successfully raising several succulents I have learned that they will only thrive if they're exposed to direct sunlight at least part or most of the day. So if you put them in the bathroom, make sure they receive direct sun, especially flowering succulents.
unfortunately, I am a serial plant killer... but i would love to know where to find a towel rack like that. Anyone know?
I agree with John H; they need direct sunlight. I have several succulents on window ledge in my bathroom. They are flourishing there, and it gets very humid in there (I have basically no air circulation in my bathroom, especially in the winter months when I can't even open the window).
Well, the first step to being able to keep a succulent alive is being able to tell it apart from a cactus.
The cactus is a type of succulent. So I don't think they'll have much of a problem with that.
That towel rack is awesome! Where from...
Succulent plants are the only type that stay alive in my place. I've had 2 in the bathroom for 2 years now.
If you have good air circulation and light in your restroom, I recommend lucky bamboo. Those suckers will survive nearly anything, but I noticed they flourish when they receive fresh air. While I allow mine to sit in water and rocks, I also mist the leaves occasionally, so I imagine they'd appreciate the steam from the shower.
Yes, many types of cactus are succulents, but this does not mean that succulents are cacti. Most are not.
I've seen them in some hotel bathrooms in europe with no windows. Would guess they have twice as many plants as they do bathrooms and have some kind of rotation schedule. Think I may do the same in mine when construction is complete.
I also plea for a source of the towel bar/ladder!
I agree that bamboo is great in the bathroom, especially if you have a window that opens. I put a pinch of miracle-gro potting soil in with the water and rocks so they'll live longer. I don't bother misting, since they get shower steam at least once a day.
aloe loves the bathroom. it'll survive lack of direct light as well, although indirect is necessary. i kept mine in the bathroom under a skylight in sunny arizona and it was very content there (i never watered it either), but it also lives happily in an east facing bedroom on a high recessed shelf in partially cloudy norcal.
I want to know if that is a wall-mounted sink, and if yes, where can I get one?!
I have had the same succulents in my bathroom for 6 mos. now and they seem to be doing fine. I water bi-weekly and there is no sunlight.
I find that look a bit jarring. My first instinct when thinking of a bathroom is to see a rather placid oasis-like bathroom with watery colours, but the cactus simply reminds me a desert. That's just me though...
i'm no plant expert, but for the sake of the potted cactus i keep in my living room, i have to ask: isn't the appeal of the cactus is that it's low maintenance and actually doesn't like humidity? you see the kinds of cacti featured in that photo in deserts, not tropical rainforests.
i have a shower w/ a window. i've had succulants in there forever. they love it. plus, it's unexpected. having a plant in a bathroom gives it a spa feel.
guys, here are some towel ladders:
http://www.organize.com/towelladder.html
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100096038&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=100096038&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=1hd.com2froogle-_-product_feed-_-D29X-_-100096038
My bathroom doesn't have enough sunlight for most succulents (tiny window, very high up the wall, bright but utterly indirect). However, my trusty philodendron adores the bathroom. It's flourishes--and needs watering very infrequently too! Granted, you actually have to try to kill a philodendron, but still. I've trained one up a stake and the other dangles from a shelf, and it makes my bathroom much prettier.
This could work if you get a tropical succulent. My boyfriend successfully had a beautiful Hatiora salicornioides (drunkard's dream) hanging in his shower in front of a window and it flourished!
Put air plants in the bathroom. They need the mist and also warmth and will do well. However, they also need light and fresh air, so a bathroom with a window is preferred. Mount your air plant on a cork plaque or piece of driftwood and hang it in the window and you may even see flowers.
This would work with succulents more than cacti. For cacti you would have to have very good circulation in your bathroom and take cold showers (avoiding high humidity is key or the root system will rot). That is, unless you have no bright direct light. Then either will perish. And absolutely NO lithop succulents! They are VERY sensitive to humidity!