Is there anything that a plant friend can't fix? 

We might not have a green thumb, but we sat down with NY renter and full-time plant parent, Kaitlin Panay (@roominbloomnyc) who DOES! 

 When it comes to bathrooms, lack of light and excess humidity can make picking the right plant feel like a challenge. In this beginner-friendly guide, Kaitlin shares three plants that promise to thrive among the mist of your shower.

 

Prayer Plant

Prayer Plants (marantas and calatheas) are known for their constant need for high humidity, making them a no-brainer bathroom plant. The warm moisture from a shower is able to keep the edges of their leaves from getting crispy, which is a famously tough feat in normal ambient humidity. They also love to live in constantly moist soil, so keeping them near a shower with a spray setting is a huge plus in making sure they never dry out too much. Just give them a quick spritz a couple times a week and you’ll be good to go.

 

Snake Plant

Although most people think of them as super drought tolerant plants, snake plants thrive in bathroom conditions. The humidity in the air keeps the sword-like leaves of this succulent upright and strong, while the soil's increase in moisture promotes faster growth than you would find in a snake plant that's  fully drying out between watering. They are highly tolerant of low light conditions and one of the few plants that I would suggest keeping in a windowless bathroom.

 

Ferns

Ferns are a plant that combine the love of moisture and tolerance of low light, making it ideal bathroom greenery. They are also one of the only plants I would recommend allowing to live inside your shower itself. Unlike other plants that simply thrive in the humidity, living inside your shower is the closest thing to replicating a ferns natural environment on the rainforest floor. If you do keep a fern inside your shower, make sure it has tons of drainage to prevent root rot and enjoy making your bathroom feel like a little mini jungle.

 

 

About Kaitlin

Kaitlin Panay is a NYC based plant parent and artist, passionate about empowering others to make their homes feel like an extension of themselves. Her TikTok page highlights everything from accessible plant care tips to her pottery, art, and DIYs. Kaitlin’s love for plants began decades ago, but it wasn't until COVID that it became her career. Since then she has run an online plant store shipping houseplants all over the country, built an indoor greenhouse in her New York apartment and is dedicated to spreading her planty knowledge with the internet 🌿