How Hanging Plants In Your Kitchen Can Help Promote Good Feng Shui

In the practice of feng shui, plants represent the element of wood, while the kitchen represents the fire element. Your kitchen is tied to health, abundance, and prosperity, and if the energy flow is off, it can directly affect anyone you feed. Generally speaking, you don't want to put too much greenery here (and not just because your countertop real estate is precious). If not thought out properly, plants can add a cluttered look to your cooking station, which blocks the positive flow of chi. On top of that, if you feed too much wood to the fire, the balance of your entire home is thrown off.

But in moderation, adding some plants — especially hanging varieties — is an excellent way to keep the chi flowing and your home's air breathable. According to many sources, houseplants are great for purifying the air. Thus, adding ones that accomplish multiple jobs is a great way to incorporate natural elements into your kitchen.

When it comes to your plant choices, don't expect to run out of options. Viney species like pothos (alias devil's ivy), writes Petal Republic, is a beneficial creeper that does a great job of cleaning the air and stagnant chi from the area they call home. They work best on top of your fridge or cabinets. Pothos is related to the money plant and is excellent at dispersing bad vibes and knocking off anxiety. (Adding a hanging pothos might even help soothe your kitchen anxiety if you want to hone your culinary chops.) As a bonus, these green cleaning machines grow in soil and water, so it's a great option if you're worried about overwatering or wet soil attracting gnats.

If you'd prefer to take a more culinary route, there's a great assortment of easy-to-grow plants that pull double duty in both the world of feng shui and the ways of the kitchen. Out of Stress explains that oregano attracts wealth, while mint brings abundance and luck while clearing negative energy. Additionally, they're pretty straightforward to grow, even for beginner gardeners. It's important to note that while some of these herbs aren't true vines, they can become leggy due to a lack of sunlight. However, don't feel you need to stick with tendril sporting plants.

When it comes to feng shui, there are a few foliage guidelines that you should be aware of when selecting greenery for your kitchen. For example, plants with spines are generally not a good idea to hang around (via Cactus Away). If you put a cactus or succulent in the kitchen, it's thought that its pointy spines will output negative energy and make your food taste less appealing. Also, for obvious reasons, keeping dead (or dried) plants or flowers in your kitchen is considered a feng shui faux pas. This isn't just because they look bad but because they're the literal representation of death and can mess with the energy of your culinary abode.

The same can be said for fake plastic plants, which are notorious magnets for dust and cobwebs. Dust collection means you're probably not getting enough airflow in that area, which also means (you guessed it) that the chi in that spot is stagnating.