Top 8 house plants for your Kitchen
Houseplants are a great way to brighten up any room in your home. Adding indoor plants in your home will help you to add a splash of colour and a touch of personality to your home.
Many people love to add houseplant to their kitchen but it’s important to make sure you choose the right plants as the kitchen is not the ideal environment for house plants.
What to consider when choosing houseplants for your kitchen
Every kitchen is different but the common conditions that houseplants need to thrive are the same.
Kitchens are a room in the house that experiences dramatic temperature fluctuations throughout the day. The kitchen experiences extreme heat when you’re cooking but tends to be extremely cold at night when all the appliances are switched off.
If you don’t have an extractor fan or hood over your cooker, your kitchen can also be subjected to steam and grease which can affect your plants.
Light levels, humidity and temperature fluctuations within your kitchen can all have an impact on the types of plants that might survive best. One of the main elements to consider is the amount of natural light in your kitchen which will determine which plants you should buy.
Here’s a list of the best plants for your kitchen and the best place for them as well as how to care for them:
1. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is one of the hardest plants to kill, even if you keep it in your kitchen! To successfully grow your Aloe Vera plant in the kitchen, you will need a space that can offer bright, indirect light. This plant prefers not to be exposed to continuous direct sunlight so we wouldn’t recommend placing it on the window sill. You will know if the plant is receiving too much light as its naturally green leaves will tend to turn yellow and begin to dry out.
When it comes to watering Aloe Vera plants, the good news is that they should be watered deeply but infrequently. The soil should feel moist to the touch once you’ve watered it but you can wait for it to completely dry out before watering again. You should water the plant every two to three weeks in the spring and summer and even less frequently in the winter.
This plant will offer a splash of greenery to your kitchen without you needing to offer it a huge amount of time and care.
2. Aspidistra Elatior
The Cast Ironreally lives up to its name. It can tolerate more than the average houseplant and will survive better in extreme low light, fluctuating temperatures and infrequent watering.
The environment in your kitchen can change by the hour and, with no consistent temperature, this plant should be able to live through it where other plants may struggle.
As long as it’s not left in bright, direct sunlight, this plant should survive in any lighting conditions. If you choose a more shady corner for your Aspidistra, it won’t need watering as much.
The Aspidistra can work with dry soil and infrequent waterings but will really thrive during the watering season if you water it regularly. As with the Aloe Vera, you’ll need to wait for the soil to dry out before watering again.
During the winter or, if your plant is in a shady corner, it’s unlikely it will need watering more than every couple of weeks.
3. Pothos
The Pothos plant is a great beginner, low maintenance plant so is perfect if you’re looking for a decorative plant to dangle from a shelf or cabinet in your kitchen but you haven’t had many other houseplants or want something that's easy to care for. It's also available in a range of different varieties, all of which are easy to care for!
Pothos likes moderate light so no bright, direct sunlight. It will tolerate low light conditions but you may find that the leaves lose some of their unique variegation.
Between watering your Pothos, make sure the soil drys out so you’re not giving it more than it needs. Overwatering your Pothos can lead to root rot and eventually the plant will die so less is definitely more when it comes to this plant. Frequent watering may not be quite right for this plant so we recommend keeping an eye on it and only watering it when it’s needed.
4. ZZ Plant
The ZZ Plant will add something unique to your kitchen and is, again, another hard to kill plant that will tolerate a wide range of conditions.
This plant thrives best in medium to low, indirect sunlight but can also tolerate bright, indirect light too. So it doesn’t matter if this plant is in partial shade for some of the day. However, it will not tolerate bright, direct sunlight so avoid placing this one on your window sill.
In terms of watering, it only needs watering every two to three weeks and should be allowed to dry out between waterings. If you place your plant in lighter conditions, it may need watering more often but, if it’s in a darker place, it won’t need as much. Feeling the soil to see if it’s dry is the best way to tell whether or not your plant needs watering so just check in on it every now and again.
5. Snake Plant
The kitchen is the best place for low maintenance, easy care plants and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you choose a Snake plant. Not only are they easy to care for, they’ll add a touch of greenery and brightness to a corner of your kitchen, a shelf or a worktop space. They're also available in a number of different varieties too so there's something for every kitchen.
If you’re not a seasoned plant parent, you’ll be glad to hear that snake plants thrive best when you forget about them most of the time. They don’t need watering too much so you should allow the soil to dry out between waterings to make sure you don’t overwater your plant. During the winter, they will need even less water.
These plants prefer indirect light but will tolerate a wide variety of different lighting conditions.
6. Philodendron Birkin
Philodendrons are available in a range of varieties, some more tolerant than others of fluctuating conditions. The Philodendron Birkin is one of the most tolerant plants in the Philodendron family making it perfect for adding an on-trend plant to your kitchen.
This plant is extremely versatile so, while it prefers medium light conditions, it can tolerate bright light and will grow in shady areas too.
The Philodendron Birkin prefers a little more water than the other plants we’ve mentioned here. You should try to keep the soil moist at all times but allow the top of the soil to dry out between waterings.
It much prefers to have dry roots when you forget to water it over being overwatered and having damp roots all the time.
One of the biggest advantages of these plants is their air purifying properties. This is perfect in the kitchen where you’re likely to spend a huge amount of time everyday.
7. Fiddle Leaf Fig
Fiddle Leaf Figs are available in a range of sizes so you might want to place them on a stool in the corner of your kitchen or stand them on the floor to add a touch of interior style.
This plant is perfect for the type of light that most homes and apartments receive throughout the day. Just make sure it isn’t in a really bright corner or a really dark corner and your plant should thrive. They prefer lots of indirect light and just a little bit of direct light throughout the day so an east-facing window would be the best place for it. A south-west facing window would offer too much bright light in the afternoons and will scorch the leaves of your plant.
Again, like the other plants we’ve listed, always wait for the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again. Over time, you will learn your plant’s habits and should be able to predict the right amount of time between waterings. Remember that this will change slightly depending on the season and where your plant is placed.
8. Monstera Deliciosa
The Monstera has become a staple among plant owners. It’s a beautiful plant that looks perfect in any kitchen. Remember that this plant will grow quickly so you’ll need to give it a bit of space to grow.
Make sure you place your Monstera in a spot in your kitchen where it will receive bright, indirect sunlight just out of the way of an southern, western or eastern facing window.
For the best results, water your Monstera every one or two weeks and allow the top of the soil to dry out before you water again. If your plant is in brighter light, it will need more water but in lower light conditions, will not need as much.
So, whether you have open shelving, a corner of a worktop, a kitchen island or a free corner in your kitchen, there’s a low maintenance houseplant to suit your needs!
