Peace lilies, celebrated for being undemanding houseplants, are typically easy to maintain with occasional watering. However, as summer approaches, watering alone proves inadequate, and they need to be moved away from windowsills to preserve their health.
Positioning plants beside windows is standard practice due to their need for light, but peace lilies are especially delicate. Too much sun exposure can damage their foliage, turning flowers brown and fragile. Craig Wilson, a gardening expert and founder of Gardeners Dream, explains that peace lilies flourish when relocated to areas with higher humidity inside the home.
Why Humidity Matters
Craig Wilson said: "Peace lilies need watering, but not nearly as much as you might expect. Normally, it is best to water your peace lily every few days, with the plant even being tolerant to being watered less often if it is kept somewhere humid in the house like the bathroom."
Peace lilies are tropical flowers that develop on rainforest floors in their native habitat, surviving by absorbing moisture from the warm, humid atmosphere surrounding them. This is exactly why placing a peace lily in a corner of your bathroom, or alternatively the kitchen, proves far more advantageous, as the hot vapour helps to keep them moisturised and robust.
Light Requirements
In rainforests, peace lilies benefit from dappled, indirect sunlight filtered through tall trees. This explains why it is recommended to position them fairly near to, but not directly against, a window. Craig Wilson added: "It is best not to leave peace lilies by external doors or windows because the plants don't do well in exposed conditions."
Too much sunlight or dry air can impair a peace lily's ability to produce flowers. Spending a moment to move them to a location that better replicates their natural environment will promote flowering.
Alternative Locations
If your bathroom or kitchen lacks space for a peace lily, regularly occupied rooms also tend to create decent humidity. As individuals release a small quantity of moisture while breathing, a peace lily can flourish in your bedroom or lounge.
Where feasible, look for a position that gets ample morning light, as peace lilies prefer softer rays over the intense glare of afternoon sun. Rooms with east-facing windows usually capture the most sunlight as the sun rises each morning, making them perfect locations for a peace lily.
By simply taking a moment to move your peace lily to a more appropriate position, you stand a much better chance of enjoying plentiful blooms that will endure significantly longer.
