Sun Signs Everything Under The Sun!
Top Feng Shui Garden Tips For Happiness And Joy!
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art and philosophy centered on the harmonic balance of energy, known as Qi. Energies are influenced by the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. They are also shaped by the 24 directions on a Lo-Pau or Feng Shui compass. Feng Shui garden tips are all about balance and what makes you happy. Follow these guidelines, add personal touches, and enjoy your outdoor space. Your garden is just as crucial to your well-being as your interior spaces. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. Here are a few Feng Shui garden tips to make it the best!
If you are interested in learning about Feng Shui, do not go by what your favorite television personalities say on decorating shows; instead, research. There is a difference between the traditional Chinese version and the Westernized version.
Mixing the two is a terrible idea, so familiarize yourself with the difference. Why is this important? Because Feng Shui is more than interior design. It is a lifestyle and a way of accomplishing happiness and balance. That means you must look outside your home as well. Take a look at your garden, for example.
How To Make An Easy and Effective Feng Shui Garden?
#1. General Concepts
Qi needs to flow freely, and that means no clutter or debris. If you have a Feng Shui garden, you must keep up with weeding, leaf pickup, and snow removal. It must be healthy and free of the trash. Broken pots must be removed as well.
Otherwise, the energy cannot flow, and negative energy may build up, negating any positive reason for having a garden. Interestingly, plants with thorns or needles, such as cacti, create aggression, and plants that exhibit stunted growth, such as bonsai trees, restrict personal growth.
Predictably, these are considered bad luck in Feng Shui. Do you see patterns yet? Feng Shui has been based on observation and intuition from the very beginning. Practitioners follow the practices they and their predecessors have seen for thousands of years.
#2. Direction Of Garden Facing
Before you worry about what to plant you need to know what direction your garden faces. The facing direction will impact what and how you do things. To keep things simple, we will only examine the four cardinal directions. An east-facing garden is most influenced by the element of wood, which symbolizes spring. Both spring and wood mean youth and new growth.
The fire element most influences a south-facing garden, and that symbolizes summer. It mainly means vigor and energy. A west-facing garden is most influenced by the element of metal, which represents autumn. Both the season and the element mean an age of illumination and wisdom. The water element most affects a north-facing garden, and it symbolizes winter. Not surprisingly, this implies mystery and closure; however, it may surprise you that it is also connected with wealth.
However, do not assume you must only use colors and materials from the element associated with your facing direction. Remember, Feng Shui is about balance. While certain elements will sway, you need balance to have a peaceful yet refreshing and productive space, which means exploring a little of each element present. How do you do that?
#3. How to Make A Feng Shui Garden With The Right Colors?
First, look at the materials and colors in your garden. Wooden benches, arbors, and medicinal plants are all part of the wood element. Rosemary, medicinal herbs, and larger plants such as bamboo, palm trees, and conifers are great representatives. You are looking for verdant plants with long, thin stems or trunks. It should be no surprise that greens and browns are the colors of the wood element.
There is little need to paint objects this color, as many of your plants will represent the element well: the fire element best suits lanterns, candles, and fire pits. As for plants, look for bright oranges, reds, and pinks. Boxwood shrubs, holly, geraniums, red camellia, and trees like Japanese Maple and red cedars are beautiful and exciting additions.
Red is the most dominant fire color. Just be careful not to add too much fire to the garden, or it will not be the restful retreat you want. Earth may be found in the ground and the soil where you plant your flora. Clay pots are recommended over metal ones, as they are a more harmonious elemental combination (in Feng Shui theory, metal cuts wood, which is unsuitable for growing plants).
How To Bring the Right Plants in Your Feng Shui Garden?
Plants with boxy foliage and yellow or earth-toned blossoms are best for this element. Things like rhododendron, Goldsturm, tall grasses, and river birch make a good fit. To enhance this, meant even more, consider adding a rock path or minor rock garden feature. However, remember that the rocks need to be rounded or polished. You do not want jagged edges, as they bring discord.
Metal may seem like it has no place in a garden, but adding metal wind chimes or a sculpture made of metal adds quiet dignity to the space. Plants with oval or round leaves and white flowers, such as chives, gardenias, jasmine, dogwood, and even some hostas’ strains, add the stability of metal’s presence.
#4. Sufficient Water
Lastly, there is water. Water is essential for life, plants, and almost everything else. Water features such as fountains or ponds (koi or goldfish ponds are lucky in Feng Shui) attract good financial luck.
Plants with blue, violet, or black foliage and blossoms represent your garden, such as the iris, lotus, sweet potato vine, and snake’s beard. Remove some or add others if your garden leans heavily on one element. There are beautiful guides online to help you understand which elements influence others and in what way.
#5. Element
The elements have dynamic or inert qualities, where yin and yang come into play. Yin and yang? They are part of the picture, too. They are the balance and interaction of the feminine (passive) and the masculine (active) forces. A circle divided by two swooshes symbolizes the yin and yang. One is black, and the other is white, yet each has a spot with the opposite color.
Certain elements (colors, materials, sounds, etc.) are more yin, while others are more yang. If either of these is too dominant, you will have a garden that is either too boring or overstimulating. Simple, unadorned items like non-flowering plants, meditation sculptures, and unadorned planters attract yin or passive energy.
Back of the Garden
The back of the garden (especially the back wall) should be more heavily in. It is your private, personal space. Many online sites recommend planting rows of trees to provide a natural curtain of protection and seclusion. Yang or active energy is attracted by moving things and pleasing sounds.
Wind chimes may accomplish this; make sure you enjoy their sound. Shop around and take your time because they will make a significant impact. The front of the garden should lean heavier toward the yang. It should be filled with energy and life. There should be an abundance of sunlight, for example.