Feng Shui Gardening

What a chaotic world we live in, the bustling streets alive with sirens and horns, the local parks are full of children running and screaming, just when you think you found a parking spot downtown someone usurps you by making an illegal u-turn.  Life can be trying but there are ways to make your personal space a tranquil oasis amid the bedlam of everyday existence. 

The art of Feng Shui has been practiced for many thousands of years.  It originated in India and was introduced in China along with Buddhism.  Pronounced “fung schway”, and literally meaning wind and water this ancient art of putting objects in their proper places or finding the perfect objects to fill a certain space is the paramount force of this long honored tradition. 

There is a bevy of “ideals” to embrace when trying to create a Feng Shui space but really the most important element is that the area you fashion makes you feel connected and at ease.  One of the essential ideas to Feng Shui is the movement of Ch’i.  Ch’i is a kind of energy or divine force that needs to move about the given environment with grace and flow bringing harmony and balance.  Raising one’s level of positive Ch’i is one reason to embrace Feng Shui.  Balance is also quite vital, the universe contains complementing opposites.  For instance, too much water in a garden may put out the fire of the space.  The yin and yang of energy, you need the passive and the active energy so people who visit your Feng Shui space are neither frantic nor sleepy. 

While you may be skeptical and are scratching your head, can the arrangement of “things” really make such a difference?  Indeed they can.  Dana T. Duellman, a certified practitioner of 3 years of Interior Alignment of Feng Shui, says, “I know it works because I have personally experienced the benefits.  I have worked with others who have experienced the benefits and heard their success stories.  Feng Shui becomes a way to live your life with purpose and intention.  Once you are in the flow with what resonates within, there is no going back to living without.  You see things differently, you experience life differently and you have an understanding for why some spaces feel better than others…you have an understanding and a respect for how positive energy can completely make a difference in a space versus a space that isn’t filled with love and positive intentions.”

Alright, but where does one start in creating a Feng Shui environment?  Well, there are 5 elements to the art, each represents a different part of the color spectrum but they must be blended together to produce the desired effect, again the balance of things.  The five elements are wood (green/blue), fire (red), earth (yellow/orange), metal (white/silver) and water (blue/black), when all of these elements are present and working in a balanced way it is referred to as the “nourishing cycle of the elements”.

Duellman thinks that the best way to get started on a Feng Shui garden is to find your “earth” she says, “There are so many facets to this “art.”  I feel that it is very important for your readers to understand that they have an earth element that they were born to…either fire, metal, earth, wood, or water.  Your earth element has a lot to do with how you feel in a space…and what kinds of colors are supportive for you, and what kinds of furniture and art will resonate with you.  It becomes very complicated and detailed…but over the years, I’ve found that the earth element is a great way to start understanding what you need in your space to feel supported.”

So, let’s dive into the five elements with more detail:

Wood – Often symbolizes the beginning of a new life with a shrub or bushy plant emitting a Ch’i, in this realm you never want a dead plant it will represent a bad influence.  Plants that are associated with this element would be quince and lilac.

Fire – This represents the yang of the elements, hot summers, and blasts of heat.  Some plants associated with fire are sunflowers and red-hot pokers.

Earth – Stability and peace are bedrocks of this element; clematis and honeysuckle is flora associated here.  Granite boulders, clay statues, and even terracotta pots can bring this element to your space.

Metal – Can encourage creative ideas, strength and resilience, the edges need to be rounded and pleasing, never sharp.  The plant Pampas grass would fall in the Metal elements.

Water – This is life, it needs to be clear and flowing and never still and stagnant, it should always be flowing toward the home, if it flows away it is draining the energy from the home plus water is synonymous with power.

Most importantly for Feng Shui to work you must rely on your intuition for many plants, they need to make you feel good.

Betsy Forcade, is a student of the Western School of Feng Shui in San Diego and a Lawrence resident for the past 38 years, says this of why she believe Feng Shui has become so popular, “I believe that Feng Shui works because it incorporates a lot of common sense principles that have been distilled from centuries of study in China. It focuses your inner intentions into the world. In other words, you become clear about what you want and manifest it in the world. It’s popular because it is so easy to try different things in your house and yard and most importantly, it really works.”

She is correct; much of this ancient art is common sense.  For instance, Feng Shui suggests curved lines for the Ch’i to flow freely.  They believe that straight lines make the Ch’i move too quickly and that clutter can stop the flow of Ch’i altogether.  Most gardeners will espouse the same advice, that curves are found in nature and straight lines are not, that when you plant flora do not plant them in a direct line but either bunched together or scattered haphazardly.  Art imitating life, Mother Nature is our muse. 

So, when creating a Feng Shui garden say to yourself, ‘if I were wind and/or water, which way would I go?’  And remember if the space does not make you feel good and the flowers and shrubs do not put you in a relaxed state, start over.  Adjust, shift and re-shift, find a harmony and a balance - all that peppered with a bit of common sense and the tranquil garden of your dreams is but a pebbles throw away.

Hints & Advice:

• Place something in the back of the garden to anchor it, the mountain of Feng Shui.  This will support the house and garden.
• Sculptures add good energy to a garden as do items that were gifts and have meaning.  This creates a personnel commitment to the space.
• Do not have a large tree in front of your windows, it blocks the view and restricts your thinking and possibilities.
• Gazing balls are good in the garden; they deflect negativity and send it on its way.
• Wind chimes are also quite wonderful in a Feng Shui garden.  They move the energy leaving the garden never stagnant.
• Benches are placed in areas of the garden where Ch’i and one’s attention are invited to linger.
• Try to avoid plants that are sharp, rounded leaves are a better choice.  Peonies represent longevity in a relationship.
• Try to keep your front door unimpeded with shrubs and debris inviting a free flow of energy into the home.

Color in Feng Shui:

• According to Feng Shui, too much color in a garden is not a good thing.  For instance, too much red in the front of the home may say the inhabitants are restless.
• Colors also holds meaning and may bring luck in a certain area.

Red – Fame & Reputation

Yellow – Health & Healing

Purple – Money, Wealth & Prosperity

Pink – Relationships & Marriage