Best kitchen plants – 10 plants to brighten up your cooking space
Indoor plants are a quick, inexpensive way to spruce up any area in your home or office. Is that one room in your house missing something? Add a plant! Boring office space? Add a plant! Want a splash of color in your bedroom? Thats right, add a plant! Well, the same goes for your kitchen and adding kitchen plants. It can even help aid in your mood and creativity, add taste to your food and help when aid is needed.
Kitchens are often the area people spend the most time, from hosting parties to busy parents always cooking for their family. And with the kitchen being such a frequented area, it's the ideal location for kitchen plants. If you have a sunny windowsill, you can place some plants along the window. But, no worries if you don't have a south facing window or natural light, you can mount LED grow lights and still add that touch of greenery to your kitchen.
Here are some plants that will thrive in your kitchen.
Spider Plant
Spider plants, or chlorophytum comosum, are fun kitchen plants if you want that funky vibe. They have sprawling, light green leaves that almost resemble a wacky hair style. The spider plant will thrive in bright light but be careful if you have full sun south facing windows because this may scorch the leaves if they're not acclimated the right way.
The Spider plant has a tendency to become an heirloom plant, a plant passed down, because of it's long life span. When it's care is met correctly, the spider plant can easily live and thrive for years, even decades.
Snake plants
The Snake plant, which you may also know as mother in law's tongue, make great kitchen plants because they can make a big statement but require minimal care. Put a snake plant in a cute planter that matches your kitchen theme and place it in bright indirect light or in a darker corner, either way this majestic beauty will still shine.
Small snake plant in a terra cotta pot
Cast iron plant
Cast iron plants are some of my favorite, low maintenance plants to recommend to beginner plant parents and make ideal kitchen plants, especially if you have a dark corner that needs to life. Cast iron plants can stand the test of time as they can handle a great deal of neglect, low light and fluctuating temperatures.
The cast iron plant is a underrated beauty and perfect for a breakfast nook or dining room.
Peace Lily Plant
The Peace lily plant has large, glossy green leaves and has that a classic look to them. The peace lily plant can survive in low light but will grow faster in bright indirect light. Be sure to water this plant when top few inches of soil is dry because they will wilt when left to dry out too much. Peace lilies are known to be the drama queens of the plant world. And always avoid direct sunlight to prevent leaf burn.
Peace lily plant in bloom
Photo by Maria Elizabeth on Unsplash
The Golden Pothos or Heartleaf plant
The Golden pothos or Heartleaf plant, also known as a trailing Philodendron, are great kitchen plants because they're low maintenance and can tolerate low light conditions. They come in a variety of colors and can really add to the vibe of your kitchen. Add them in hanging baskets to save valuable counter space or on the tops of cabinets and have the cascading stems trailing down.
I would opt for these two plants as kitchen plants over English ivy because they're less prone to spider mites. English ivy are typically spider mite magnets and require really specific care in order to thrive and grow.
ZZ Plant
ZZ plant, or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia, are another hardy plant that would do exceptionally well in a darker corner in your kitchen. Zamioculcas zamiifolia has thick stems and cute little glossy green shaped leaves. These plants can be grown to be quite huge, making it ideal for taking up a big area or they can easilly be divided into smaller pieces and make more plants.
ZZ plant in white planter against a white wall.
Photo by Nicolas Solerieu on Unsplash
Air Plants
The air plant would be my personal favorite addition to any kitchen and make really fun kitchen plants. They're small and compact and you can order heaps of fun, cute planters to prop them in. Air plants require some sunlight and a weekly soak. They're really easy to care for and a simple way to add some personality to your kitchen space.
Aloe Vera Plant
Aloe Veras make the best type of kitchen plants for those sunny windows and a bright kitchen as they require a lot of sunlight to grow. Aloe Vera has a gel like substance inside the leaves that has a calming effect for burns and minor cuts. It's also a great addition to foods or drinks.
3 different air plants in a bronze bowl
Photo by Michael Walter on Unsplash
Make sure your Aloe Vera hasn't been treated with pesticides before consuming.
Pony tail palm
Pony tail palms are ideal kitchen plants for that kitchen window that receives a lot of bright light. Like the Aloe vera and ZZ plant, they are extremely drought tolerant as they store water in their trunks. They are, also, a lot of fun to look at while cooking or washing the dishes and really great to grow indoors.
Herbs for your kitchen
Any kind of herb you use for cooking would make great kitchen plants. If your kitchen lacks bright light, you can add LED grow lights to your kitchen plants. Either pop some underneath cabinets or browse online for a herb growing set up.
Herbs like lavender, oregano, parsley and even chives (although not actually an herb) can all be grown fairly easy indoors when given enough bright light. Just make sure to keep up with watering and making sure they don't get too dry.
Small plants and herbs growing on a windowsill
Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
And while you are adding plants to the kitchen, don't forget to give them the right support. Here are Treleaf, we have lots of aesthetic plant support choices for you, check out all our collections here.
Other plant related blogs:
Snake plants as houseplants
How to use grow lights
How to get rid of fungus gnats