The best plants for a bathroom | House & Garden

As well as being that haloed place where one can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet and a hot soak, the bathroom is also one of the best rooms to grow house plants. Its high humidity is a haven for a lot of indoor plants because so many of them hail from tropical or subtropical forests. There they flourish in the consistently damp, warm air and the light that pours in between the trees. These plants will feel right at home in bathrooms, shower rooms, and kitchens, if provided with the indirect light and average-to-warm temperature that most of them crave.

African violet (Streptocarpus ionanthus syn. Saintpaulia 'Top Dark Blue')

This weird and wonderful epiphyte from the warm, humid forests of Cuba and Jamaica can be slotted into glass globes, narrow-necked vases, or shells, without any soil. Place in bright indirect light. Soak in rainwater or filtered water once a week, then drain. Temperature: 15 to 27°C.

Forming a small mound of burgundy-backed green textured leaves, this easy evergreen perennial from the rainforests of Brazil enjoys bright indirect light and warmth, where it will send up cream flower spikes. Water when the soil feels dry; feed in spring and summer. Temperature: 15 to 27°C.

The green leaves of this small evergreen from Java and Sumatra are clothed with pink-purple hairs that make them soft and velvety. It's best to remove the winter flowerheads should they appear, as the orange blooms don't smell pleasant. Place in bright indirect light. Water when the compost feels dry and never leave the plant waterlogged. Temperature: 15 to 23°C.

There are few plants that rival the intensity of purple that some of these small plants produce when they flower between spring and autumn. Sit in bright indirect light. Water from