8 Best Houseplants for Your Bathroom

Growing bamboo in containers is a good way to control the plants, which can grow invasively when planted in the garden. But even confined in containers, bamboo plants can get large, requiring re-potting every year or so. The clumping varieties will need re-potting less often than those that run. Feed bamboo with a diluted fertilizer weekly during the growing season, cutting back to monthly in the winter.

Many types of begonias grow well in containers, and they enjoy the warmth and humidity of a bathroom shelf. In particular, the rex begonias (Begonia x rex) are extremely colorful and ornamental and grow well indoors. Begonias like humid conditions, but not water-logged soil, which can cause root rot. Fibrous and rhizomatous types make the best houseplants; tuberous varieties are not well suited to grow indoors.

Bromeliads are unusual specimens, in that they readily produce long-lasting blooms in locations where most house plants do not blossom at all. Bromeliads flower with pink or red blossoms in winter, and the blooms last for several weeks. Bromeliads include several different plant genera and dozens of species, many of which are epiphytic (drawing moisture from the air rather than from soil). These are ideally suited to bask in the humidity of a bathroom, but they also need good air circulation, which can be provided by running the bathroom exhaust fan or setting up a small portable fan to run for a few hours each day.

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Called the cast-iron plant because it is so hard to kill, Aspidistra elatior makes for an excellent low-maintenance houseplant. A tropical plant growing 2 to 3 feet tall, this is one of the rare house plants that will tolerate near full shade. It also does not require high humidity, making it good for guest bathrooms that aren't used often.

Few plants are as forgiving and adaptable as the Chinese evergreen, comprising about 20 species within the Aglaonema genus. These large-leaved, tropical perennials will thrive even if you forget to water and feed it. While it loves humidity, it will also tolerate dry air, provided you keep it out of cold drafts, which can damage the leaves. It grows 1 to 2 feet tall, with dark green leaves; some cultivars (such as 'Silver Queen') have gray-green variegation.

You will find croton plants in an assortment of colored foliage. The pictum variety has gaudy, multi-colored leaves. These tropical broadleaf evergreens grow slowly, but they can get 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, so be sure you have space for one. Croton plants need bright, but indirect light, and lots of humidity and moisture, although they do not like to sit in wet soil. Reduce watering in late fall and winter.