Dudes. Do any of you guys have a bathroom with no light, or low light? We do. Our new basement bathroom is nestled in the center of our home with no access to windows or natural light. If you’re like me, you realize quickly that bathrooms of this nature need some sort of life to them, otherwise you might feel like you’re spelunking in some deep dark cave on the edge of the nether portal. My solution to this prob was to add an exorbitant amount of plants to the basement bath. Okay, so the above photo is an exaggeration, but I do have three plants currently living in this dark windowless space. It def makes the overall vibe of the bathroom feel way more lush and inviting.
My shower is making home to a ZZ Plant that can basically survive in a closet. I have it nestled out of the way of the shower so it’s not getting tons of water as it prefers to be on the dry side. I also have a Mother Fern sitting under the sink. I’ve never had this species of fern before, and I have to say, it rules. Unlike it’s prettier sister, the maiden hair fern, this lady can deal with limited light conditions, has feathery fronds, and isn’t as picky when it comes to watering, although you still need to keep her wet (hey-oh). Lastly, I’ve got a snake plant tucked away in the corner. Treat the snake plant (aka mother-in-laws tongue) bad, don’t let it have any light, and water it when you think of it, OR DON’T, she’ll be fine.
If your lucky enough for your bathroom to have a natural light source and you’d still like some plant companions, consider potting any of the following; Philodendren, Spider Plant, Ivy, Dracaena, or Pothos.
LIGHT
Does well in all types of lighting conditions.
WATERING:
Prefers less water, much like a cacti.
STRENGTHS:
Is nearly impossible to kill!
LIGHT
Shade Loving, perfect for a windowless bathroom.
WATERING:
Humidity lovers that enjoy wet to moist soil.
STRENGTHS:
Does very well potted.
LIGHT
Is very tolerant of low-light conditions.
WATERING:
Very flexible when it comes to watering, err on the side of less.
STRENGTHS:
Makes a good air filter for toxins.
Thanks for the plant ideas. I don’t have a windowless room, but most of my house gets only indirect sunlight. As you can imagine, I’m always looking for plants that thrive in low light and I hadn’t heard of the first two before. I’m definitely going to look for them next time I’m at the garden center!
Do it! I have the ZZ plant in a bunch of different low-light spaces that just need a plant, they are great! I’ve only had my Mother Fern for a month or so but it’s done really well. One day I was slightly behind on my watering schedule, the MF was drooping just a little bit. With a Maiden Hair it would have been donzito, but the Mother Fern quickly bounced back to life after a good watering.
Oh, goody! We just moved into a duplex with two, count ’em two, interior bathrooms with no light. And I don’t have the greenest of thumbs. Henhouse to the rescue! Thanks so much for this info. I’ll send the BF to the plant store today.
Sounds like a plan, I highly recommend all three depending on what sort of look you like. I especially like the Mother Fern! Glad the post helped!
Thanks so much for this post! It’s like you had a window into my mind – after killing a succession of jade plants (RIP), I’ve finally accepted that my bathroom, though it does have a window in the shower, doesn’t get enough light for most plants. I just bought a terrarium the other day that I’m hoping to fill with low-light plants. Any idea if the mother fern would do well in a terrarium? I feel like it would, but I don’t want to buy and kill another plant!
Hi sweetie! I’m the ‘favorite sister’ of a friend of your parents (Pat Schaefer). I sincerely enjoy seeing all your fun, courageous projects! One of my favorites is your amazing backyard fence! ♡♡♡ This one is so darn creative and beautiful! Keep up the great work and big thank you for sharing your creative soul! ♡
Hi Jackie! Yes, we love Pat!! Oh, we are so happy with that fence, if you ever are in the market, I have the guys number ;)
Thanks for saying “hey”!
Oh man, I have a black thumb when it comes to terrariums! I would try some moss and ferns, they would like the low-light and humidity in your bathroom. I hope the terrarium works out for ya :)
I love ZZ plants but they’re toxic to cats and sadly my cat does chew my plants. She doesn’t chew them enough to hurt the plants, thankfully. Do you know of anything that looks like a ZZ plant but isn’t toxic?
Good point, Sarah! I forget that they are toxic to cats, our cats aren’t nibblers so I never even consider that. Apartment Therapy has compiled a list of 10 non-toxic house plants, follow the link here. Maybe one of these will be well suitable for you.
Great write up, thank you! I’m inspired to get a plant or two!
It’s that time of year, right? I’ve got the itch and the only way I can scratch it is with a quick trip to the nursery.
I would like to get one of the Mother Fern’s. Do you have any recommendations on where to buy one?
I love shopping at Tonkadale in Minnetonka. They have a great selection of indoor plants always and they are well tended to plants. Otherwise Bachman’s (on Lyndale) selection is not as large, but you might be able to find a Mother Fern on any given day.
Where is your favorite place to buy plants locally? All my current plants are hand me downs from my neighbor, and I want to add to my collection
Hey Amy! My favorite place to plant shop is Tonkadale Greenhouse in Minnetonka, they have a really good selection, and in my opinion the plants are way better quality than other places. They also have different sized pots, so if you are on a budget you can get a smaller plant for 5.99 and larger more mature plants for $16.99(ish). Since I can’t drive out to the ‘burbs every day, I often pop in at Bachman’s on Lyndale. The selection is not as massive as it is at Tonkadale, but they have nice plants and the pots might be cheaper by a dollar or so.
I managed to kill a snake plant! It lived in our son’s windowless bedroom (we were in a loft, it’s not like we kept him in a closet or something), and it took like a year, but eventually it went all squishy and died. Still kinda worth it to have a bit of green in there until then though.
Wow! That’s impressive! I think you need a reward for that. I’ve never actually heard of anyone killing one before! I guess I should’ve recommend that even plants in closets need a little sun a few times a year ;)
Oh man! I’ve had a ZZ plant for a year and never knew the name! Thanks for that. Love that thing. It is so pretty and low maintenance. Got it in my bedroom that’s facing north (no direct sunlight ever) and she is happy as can be!
I definitely agree about using plants in low light spaces. There’s something about evidence that life can occur that’s settling. My husband and I temporarily had our bedroom in a finished basement before we bought our new home (long story) and I kept plants everywhere. I’ve also learned over the years that IKEA usually has a really good selection of plants that can tolerate low light conditions, that’s where I got my ZZ and it’s one of my faves.
I love this bathroom… it has inspired a bathroom renovation I am doing! Where is the floating shelf and hardware from?? I have looked everywhere. Thanks!!