How to Pick a Houseplant That Will Survive in Your Kitchen

If your living spaces are already full of plants, you may be looking at adding some greenery to other rooms in your home — including the kitchen. And, like any other room in your home, your kitchen has its own microclimate, thanks to the amount of sunlight it gets, the access to fresh air, humidity levels, and the temperature.

So while it’s not possible to find one single plant that’s perfect for every kitchen, some species are better suited for the room than others. In this article from The Spruce, houseplant expert Cori Sears suggests some plants that might make a nice addition to your kitchen (and also have a decent chance of surviving). Here are some of the options.

[referenced id=”1041671″ url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2021/01/get-a-houseplant-to-feel-more-in-control-of-your-life/” thumb=”https://www.gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/01/03/subzvhp12ahtx6yata0r-300×169.jpg” title=”Get a Houseplant to Feel More In-Control of Your Life” excerpt=”For almost a year, nearly every aspect of our lives has been changed by things beyond our control (mostly the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects). And while having multiple effective vaccines is certainly a reason to be optimistic, that doesn’t mean any of this is going to end in the…”]

Herbs

Let’s start with the obvious — herbs. Not only does keeping herb plants in your kitchen mean you have easy access when you’re cooking, but as long as the room receives bright, direct sunlight for the majority of the day, they should grow pretty easily year-round, Sears explains. Her top picks for indoor growing include chives, parsley, mint, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano and cilantro.

Snake plants

Snake plants are such common houseplants that you might already have one in your home. And its ability to survive in the kitchen is really based on the reasons for its overall popularity: it’s easy to care for, and can handle everything from low to direct sunlight, and everything in-between. If your kitchen doesn’t have the best natural light, this is a good choice.

Succulents

If you’re picturing the miniature version of a cartoon cactus, that’s only one of the options. According to Sears, there are hundreds of different types of succulents that come in a range of shapes, colours and sizes. Succulents do best on a sunny windowsill, and thanks to their ability to store water, are pretty low-maintenance.