Why have just a “yard,” when you can have a beautiful, nourishing “garden?” In Feng Shui your home is considered the "heart" of your property, while the garden is considered the "aura." Your garden is your personal passport into nature. It keeps you connected to the rhythms of life, while replenishing and sustaining the Ch’i that meanders throughout, whether a flower or vegetable garden, vibrant nature in your yard attracts vibrant Ch’i into your home.
The rains have finally stopped, and the following sunshine have blessed my garden with lush, shiny leaves and a multitude of buds. I am being swept away into a land of beautiful flowers, intoxicating fragrance, and an explosion of color. It is important to have an outlet where the brain can breathe, and your garden can be this natural outlet. After a long day at work or just taking a break from your home routines, a walk through our garden can relax you and help you defuse any stress you may have been dealing with.
Feng Shui, which has been practiced for over 3,000 years in China, is the enhancement of health, prosperity, and happiness through a connection with your environment. Flowers, with their various shapes and colors, represent all the five Feng Shui Elements. When in balance, these five elements displays help to calm and energize you at the same time.
Some examples of the elements in your garden:
Water: Water features of any kind
Wood: Blue, green items, plants of any kind
Fire: Red flowers, lighting
Earth: Yellow flowers, ceramics
Metal: White flowers, natural stone, round shapes
Gardens have many other purposes. When applicable, use gardens and landscaping to complete the shape of your home. If your home is not a complete square or rectangle anchor the missing areas with a pleasing combination of trees, flowerbeds, garden sculptures, large rocks, decks, patios, fencing, lighting, specialty gardens and/or water features. There is no end to what you can do, and the missing area becomes an enhancing outdoor area. Make sure you have an attractive view from every window and door. Be nourished by a lovely view each time you look out; camouflage or screen unsightly views with trees, trellises with climbing vines, and hanging gardens. An inspirational place to rest the eye is a gift you give yourself every day. Basic Feng Shui principles can help you nurture and strengthen your energy and yourself in all aspects of your life.
Here are some Feng Shui basics for nurturing gardens:
1) Make your entry beautiful and clutter free
2) Place water features in the Career and Wealth areas
3) Remove dead plants quickly
4) Balance the Yin/Yang of your garden with opposites (short/tall plants, bright/soft colors)
5) Keep all systems working (i.e., watering, lighting – nothing should be broken)
Your gardens are living, breathing entities offering us the balance of nature. Flowers are amongst the strongest of the Feng Shui enhancements because they are related to the Health, Friends and Family Area of your home (left middle area). If you are dealing with health issues, you want to put fresh flowers or floral representation in that area.
Whether you have a garden, a patio or beautiful pots and vases at home you can use the power of plants and flowers to enhance your life. Sow flower seeds to attract bees and beautiful birds, plant a vegetable garden, pull weeds, clean, organize and refresh your yard, or patio. If you have children, you can use this home time to teach them gardening skills and love for nature. Cut your own beautiful fresh flowers and arrange them in stunning floral art, then take pictures of your beautiful arrangements. Finally, just enjoy your garden by strolling through it, taking a nap, meditating, or sitting on a favorite bench. Inhale the fragrance and breathe the stress away.
Apply the Bagua map on your landscape or garden footprint. When we apply the Bagua to your front door, however for your landscape or garden we use the driveway. The entrance to your garden does not have to be the same direction or angle as your front door. Depending on where your driveway is you will be entering your property from Knowledge, Career or Helpful People. Enhancing the entrance to your home and garden with healthy plants, water features, greeters and curving walkways is one of the most important things you can do to invite energizing Ch’i to your life. The Bagua can be applied just to the back area of your home, or with your home as the center. Gardens should take on the qualities of the Bagua area in which they reside.
Here are some examples of using the Bagua to enhance your garden:
Garden Enhancements in Career Area
• Soft colorful plants, reds are particularly auspicious, water features such as 360-degree bubbling fountains or with water flowing toward the house, pots in shiny dark colors, wind chimes, and curved paths or asymmetrical lines
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Garden Enhancements in Knowledge and Self Cultivation Area
• Colors of blues, greens, wooden benches, symbols of mountains or large rocks, statues representing spiritual guides, healthy plants with rounded soft leaves, gazing balls, and items that create a quiet meditative feeling
Garden Enhancements in Friends/Family/Health Area
• An abundance of healthy flowers in any color with upright growth (blooming flowers represent perfect health), sitting areas for entertaining, symbols of family, vegetable gardens, herbs, orchard
Garden Enhancements in Wealth Area
• Healthy plants in the purple color spectrum such as salvia, lavender, trumpet vines or roses, fountains or waterfalls flowing toward the home, flags or whirligigs to call in the Ch’i
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Garden Enhancements in Fame Area
• Plants in colors red, up lighting or twinkle lights, BBQs, fire pits, garden art representing suns, stars, triangles and sculptures of people or animals
Garden Enhancements in Love and Marriage Area
• Pairs of items depicting romance, including bistro tables with two chairs, two lounge chairs, loveseat or sculptures in pairs (avoid single or lonely items), plants in colors of reds, pinks and white
Garden Enhancements in Children and Creativity Area
• Items in metal and plants in colors of white and pastels, whimsical garden art, children’s playground or personal garden, workbench, garden bench, fairies, butterflies, nature spirit
Garden Enhancements in Helpful People and Travel Area
• Garden art representing spiritual guides, or desired travel locations (We have a colorful pole with signs pointing to all the places we’ve traveled), birds, sundials, items in metal and white plants
Garden Enhancements in Center Area
• Houses usually occupy the center of the landscape Bagua, but if they don't this is an auspicious area for ceramics, plants in yellow, earth tones, rectangle shapes, patios, bricks/pavers, table and chairs
Remember that gardens reflect your personal energy. Turn your yard into a garden that will create peaceful space to help calm your world.
“Gardening is how I relax. It’s another form of creating and playing with colors.” Oscar de la Renta
