Plants to Decorate Kitchen Cabinet Tops

Did you know that the kitchen is considered the most essential room in the house? Well, that’s because it’s usually the center of a family’s daily living.

Kitchens make for excellent gossiping, relaxing, and bonding areas. Like any other space in a home, a kitchen can be suffocating and depressing if it lacks personality. It needs something to bring it to life, and a splash of DIY greenery can be just the thing.

You can use tons of plants to decorate your kitchen cabinet tops and spice up your space. They could be anything, from cascading plants to succulents or herbs.

If you haven’t yet introduced plants into your kitchen, remember that kitchens have different setups that may affect a plant’s wellbeing. While your friend’s bacopa with the pretty white flowers looked great on their countertop, it doesn’t mean yours will.

Perhaps your new plant will look better and stay healthy in window boxes or along a garden wall if your kitchen doesn’t have enough lighting. If you have large windows with no light obstructions, your plants will probably be fine wherever you put them on the cabinet top.

Why are Plants Good for Your Kitchen?

Here are a few reasons why you may want to keep plants in your kitchen:

Plants are Air Purifiers

According to a NASA study, indoor plants can reduce air pollutants as they have a natural filtration system.

Plants are Natural Air Fresheners

Kitchens tend to smell musty a lot because of all the cooking and washing activities. Plants like verbena, jasmine, lavender, and gardenia are fragrant and fabulous at dispelling unpleasant odors.

For Stress Relief

Indoor plants are known for breaking the monotony in a space, easing anxiety, and increasing productivity.

Aesthetic Appeal

Plants are great decor accessories and can be used with your design taste to bring out a range of textures and pleasant colors. Many boast purple, green, and yellow flowers that will bring the kitchen to life.

As Food Ingredients

Some plants and herbs have excellent flavors, and you can use them in cooking. Plants such as oregano, basil, rosemary, and some varieties of pepper are popular ingredients.

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The 13 Best Plants for Decorating Your Kitchen

Your choice largely depends on your preferences, but below are some of the best indoor plants around that you can import into your kitchen.

1. Scented Geranium

There are several varieties of scented geraniums you can get for your kitchen. They are generally easy to grow and take care of. They have a lush green appearance, with some of them not blooming at all and others, scantily.

Scented geraniums are not strictly grown for their blooms but fragrance. They can mimic a wide range of scents like coconut, pine, rose, strawberry, and lemon.

Geraniums bring a lush green contrast to a living space, breaking the monotony. They thrive in ample lighting and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. You may want to put them at the windowsill or cabinet top

2. English Ivy

If you’re into cascading plants, the English ivy is a great option. It grows lush green leaves with hanging vines. You often see it growing up retaining walls of buildings. But at home, expect it to explode out of your pot onto the cabinet. Hang it up in a basket for the best look and let it trail down freely.

The plant needs abundant natural light to thrive indoors. It’s also good in humid places and grows well under moderate temperatures. If you can maintain moderation, especially when watering the plant, you’re all set—they don’t like getting soggy!

3. White Jasmine

White jasmine has thick blooms that erupt in whites and greens in the presence of sunlight. Therefore your indoor space should provide access to a bit of sun. The best spot would be at the window or somewhere on the cabinet with direct access to sunlight, where it can bask for a few hours each day.

The plants can grow on pots with trellis support or in hanging baskets as trailing plants. Light is everything with white jasmine, but water? Not so much. You probably don’t want to be too eager to water it morning and evening. Also, ensure the planting material drains quickly.

4. Golden Pothos (Devil’s Ivy)

Golden pothos, also known as Devil’s Ivy, is one of the most popular indoor vining plants. It has broad shiny leaves that grow thick and dangle off the counter when kept in a pot. Alternatively, you can opt to let it trail in hanging baskets.

Pothos are quite resilient and can handle varying temperatures and lighting environments. Like white jasmine, golden pothos is far from aquatic and could use good drainage and weekly watering. They are an excellent option for kitchens with little or no access to natural lighting.

5. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is an herb belonging to the sizeable succulent family. It grows out in long heavy leaves, serrated along the edges. The plant thrives in full sun, but it’s also drought resistant and can manage with little care. Put it in a small pot on the counter, and the aesthetic effect is stunning.

The plant is also famous for its vast healing properties. Most people keep it in the kitchen as a first-aid kit alternative in the event of burns and cuts. It’s also a significant help for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other stomach irritations as its juice contains anti-inflammatory properties.

6. Lavender

Lavender is a popular, fragrant plant native to the Mediterranean and Europe. Still, it can flourish just about anywhere so long as it gets enough sunlight. If you want to maximize its signature lavender flower blooms, make sure it has direct access to bright light and some heat.

Your kitchen doesn’t have much lighting? No worries, grow lights work just fine.
Lavenders are not traditionally indoor plants, but they can still thrive with enough care and attention.

7. Chinese Evergreen

Chinese evergreen is a cute little plant known for its hardiness and low-maintenance. Also known as aglaonema, it has long leaves with silvery highlights that can bring the best out of your kitchen’s décor.

Evergreen perennials don’t mind minimal lighting, but they do mind dryness. You may want to keep your plant’s soil moist most of the time.

8. African Spear

African Spear is one stiff plant with spiky growth. Have you noted the similarity with the snake plant?

They are related, and both sport the same green and white tinge. The plant can withstand partial shade, with little need for watering.

9. String of Pearls Succulent

The string of pearls is a stunning succulent that will completely transform any space with its wild trailing vines. It’s one of the best cascading plants out there. It will do just fine overflowing on the cabinet top — but it looks even better suspended in a basket.

The perennial vine loves bright spots, and like most succulents, it doesn’t require frequent watering.

Word of caution: overwatering a string of pearls succulent will kill it as it already maintains a lot of water. So, you want to water it only when its soil has completely dried up. The right frequency would be once every two weeks.

10. Swedish Ivy

Swedish ivy is a beautiful, low-maintenance houseplant that grows thick and plump around the pot, eventually spilling over. It has dark green leaves with charming chartreuse highlights.

The plant thrives indoors with minimal effort on your part. It doesn’t need too much lighting, making it an excellent option for tucked-away spaces, like the corner of your kitchen counter.

11. Boston Fern

Boston fern is a gorgeous indoor tree with wild fronds that tend to quickly conceal the plant’s pot or basket in a splash of green. The fern is a favorite for kitchen cabinets and bathroom stands. It doesn’t require direct sunlight, but it’s big on humidity. You may want to ensure its soil remains moist at all times.

Hydration is key to the plant’s survival as they die out a lot if they keep drying. For the best potting mixture, you may want to go for those with high peat moss concentration.

12. Spider Plant

The spider plant is a small, neat plant that likes to spillover its pot in trails of spider-like tentacles. It is mostly kept on windowsills as it prefers bright sunlight, but it will do on countertops as it has no problem adjusting to low light.

Watering depends on seasons. When it’s hot and dry, keep it damp. In colder seasons, leave it dry in between watering. Spider plants are hardy and can stay wherever you want in the kitchen.

13. Peace Lily

While the peace lily traditionally serves as a floor plant due to its size, you can introduce it into your kitchen to add flavor and balance to the overall look.

You would need to prune the plant to keep it under control and maintain your size preference.
The Peace lily has large floppy leaves that shine dark green when they are in good condition. You can decorate your cabinet tops—away from the windows—with peace lilies for an epic space transformation.

See also: 11 Studio Apartment Design Ideas

What Are Easy Ways to Care for Your Kitchen Plants?

Ready to go plant shopping to spruce up your kitchen space?

First, let’s quickly go through a few tips to help you easily take care of your new plant.

Determine Plant Species

You must determine the type of plant you are growing, its needs, and how best to provide for them. Different plants call for different approaches to care and attention.

Maintain Moist Potting Soil

You don’t have the time to get into botany but still want to keep the plant?
One rule that is as close to a fact as it gets with houseplants is that they don’t need a daily watering dose. Keep their potting material damp, not soggy.

There are always exceptions, though. Succulents, for instance, prefer dry soil in between watering.

Choose a Good Potting Soil

Unless you’re a true houseplant expert, you don’t want to grow your plants in ordinary soil. It may present tons of challenges later on. It’s best to pick an organic potting material that has been mixed exclusively for indoor gardening.

Don’t Disregard Drainage

Plants quickly get soaked in pots, even if the soil appears dry on top, which is why you should ensure the container has enough drainage holes. Alternatively, you can place pebbles in the bottom of the planter to suspend the potting material, shielding the plant from the excess water below.

Fertilize Your Houseplants

Are you doing everything there is, but still your plants are dying?

It would help if you considered fertilizing them, as the more you water them, the more they lose nutrients and eventually die. Unlike outdoor plants, houseplants don’t have natural access to nutrients for replenishment.

The idea is to fertilize your plant, either once a month or when they’re actively growing or flowering.
There are different types of fertilizers. You may want to go with organic instead of synthetic since they are less likely to harm your plant.

Prune Your Plants

Most indoor plants require occasional pruning because they can quickly grow out of control. It’s best to prune during the growing seasons. Plants like lavender do need pruning every year to keep them in good health.

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Conclusion

Indoor plants have always been an essential part of a home’s décor, but they couldn’t be more necessary now when we prize a comfortable home more than ever. Besides, indoor plants promote healthy breathing, which is good for you.

You don’t have to have an outdoor landscaping garden brimming with petunias, phlox, and lobelias frequently visited by hummingbirds to love greenery. It’s magnificent to be an indoor grower!

Kitchens almost always seem like that place you can escape to, whip up something real quick, or just chill. But a kitchen without plants won’t appear quite as inviting as when it has them.

Now that many of us are pretty much staying and working from home, you may want to consider bringing the outdoors into your most important room.