Feng Shui in the Garden

The term Feng Shui means “wind and water,” and what better way to improve your Feng Shui luck than by enjoying your garden?

1. Balance the front and back yards.

Alternate your gardening projects in the front and back yards so that both areas are in balance. The back yard is important for a sense of permanence and stability. The front yard symbolizes the energy of the home, and it should be vital.

Avoid placing an abundance of flowers in the front yard, and edging your back yard with trees and shrubs, or vice versa. A balance of color and greenery is ideal for Feng Shui.

2. Use window boxes and hanging plants if you live in an apartment, or have a very small yard.

If you don’t have much space around your home, don’t overfill your yard with plants. Instead, add a sense of depth with hanging plants and window boxes.

You can also hang window boxes–and other potted plants–from fences with special hardware. Ask at your garden shop.

If you live in an apartment, extend your Feng Shui luck with plants outside your doors and windows.

Generally, flowers improve your money and wealth luck. Be sure to include them among the plants that you display. Ferns are a symbol of wealth in many cultures, if your climate will support them. One of the easiest ways to keep the soil moist is to place a few ice cubes in the hanging baskets; the ice will melt slowly and provide plants with a steady supply of water.

3. Place hanging baskets close to walls or fences.

In Feng Shui, we avoid placing any object above eye level if it might fall on someone. Even if it’s very unlikely that it will fall, if there is any possibility of that subconscious concern, we avoid it. So, if you use hanging baskets–and they can be a lovely addition–place them close to a wall where no one is likely to sit or stand with a basket over them.

(If you or anyone in your home has had feelings of “the axe is about to fall” or other fleeting thoughts of impending doom, see if anything in your decor is above eye level and could seem a little threatening.)