Feng Shui

{{post id=”the-feng-shui-garden” text=”Feng Shui in the garden”}} is not a modern trend or design statement. It is probably one of the oldest forms of cultivation in the world. Remember that originally, after grave siting, Feng Shui–using the natural chi energies which flow all around us and within us, was used for the planting of crops and the positioning of water.

A Feng Shui garden need not look Oriental. You can have an English Cottage garden, Mediterranean, Courtyard style, and, by using the colours and elements of the Pa Kua make it into a Feng Shui garden.

Feng Shui gardens do tend to have certain traits in common though such as; they are always asymmetrical [not straight lines with matching borders, as in Western gardens] and the centre [the tai chi] is always left clear. Western people like their lawns, and in my designs I usually put these near and around the middle, if my client is insistent on having grass. Where possible, everything should look natural. This goes back deep into the philosophy of Taoism. Nothing should look out of place or look artificial. Whatever is planted or put into the garden should look as though it has been there for a very long time. It is interesting to note that any rocks are chosen with care and planted not placed in the garden!

There should be a harmonious mixture of shrubs, trees, flowers and ornaments. Nothing should dominate, no one thing should overwhelm. The classic English back garden, and I have seen many, often has a large tree plonked right in the middle of the garden—right in the tai chi, at least with a lawn, it is left clear! You enter the garden and see TREE, you walk around the garden and you are aware of TREE!

Meandering curves, in paths and flowerbeds are preferred to straight lines. In Chinese tradition it is said that devils, ghosts and evil spirits travel in straight lines, they cannot manage curves. Apart from that, curves look far more pleasing to the eye and allow the chi to circulate, without rushing through and being wasted. A big danger with Western culture is that it loves to cram the garden full and keep adding to it. More means—– more and—– more. In a {[rbinternal code not found] however [and in Japanese ones too], �less is more.�

There is never a feeling of overcrowding. Careful placing is far more important than volume of planting. Quality not quantity. My garden plans can take days, even weeks to prepare, because careful planning, emptiness, harmony, asymmetry and the Pa Kua all have to be considered.

Colours and Elements

Firstly, draw a plan of you garden. If it is irregular, around the edges expand the lines until you have a regular geometric shape, usually a square or oblong, sometimes a triangle. By joining the diagonals, where they cross, is your tai chi, the centre.
The Chinese say that your front garden is your public face to the world and the back garden is the private inner self. The sectors of the compass can be found by placing it on this centre spot and then drawing in the �apple-pie� segments!

Remember please that the lines of division in the Pa Kua between directions are not solid and unwavering. Each sector blends into the next, so to a certain extent, the edges of the compass locations will be approximate, you cannot stand, one foot in the North and one foot in the North east with accuracy! What we are looking for are the major sectors of the compass and the locations which they will give us in the garden.
Everything placed in the garden will contribute to the chi already flowing there and will enhance, settle or complement it. The chi energies in the different compass sectors has different qualities, such as lively in the North East, or slow and staid as in the South West.

Practical Planting in a Feng Shui Garden

Dragons, the most powerful and lucky animals in Feng Shui are seen to live in undulating, rolling land. They will never live in completely flat areas of land. Gardens need to contain the symbolic dragon, different levels to be interesting and also to provide the Oriental approach of �hide and reveal�, in other words, the garden should never be able to be seen fully from one vantage point, should never be completely flat. The dragon�s breath, �Sheng Chi�, is important to encourage, and so rockeries and even small hills �Shan� are to be included in your design whenever you can.

In the SOUTH EAST, plant lots of small leafy shrubs, mainly evergreens. Herbs are ideal. Greens and blues are excellent colours to use. It is said however that blue flowers in a front garden symbolise the flowing way of wealth and so they should be avoided if the South East sector falls into the front garden. This would equally apply to the Northern sector.
A water feature in this sector [or the North for Career] is excellent as it is the wealth corner. A waterfall should always flow in towards the house and be seen from the house, bringing prosperity with it. If placed in a front garden, a water feature is best positioned on the Left Hand Side of the front door as you face outwards. Frog and fish ornaments are good in this zone as are real fish. Real fish can be goldfish [baby dragons] or Koi [which turn into dragons]. Nine fish is the best number, eight gold and one black, or use multiples of nine. In a very small water feature, have three fishes, two gold and one black. Any which die are thought to have absorbed bad chi and should be replaced at once.

The SOUTH, your �Bright Hall�, symbolising Fame, Public Recognition and Reputation should be as well lit as possible. This could be with garden lighting, or with Japanese Lanterns. The Lanterns must be lit, to be useful—in the same way that candles in the house must be lit to be called �light� remedies. Flowers and shrubs in the South should be bright and fiery. Fuchsias are excellent, not only are they fiery colours, they also look like little lanterns. A bird sculpture in the South is good, a Phoenix, or a Cockerel, Pheasant, or even Flamingo. The element is Fire, so reds, yellows, oranges and even purples, are all good colours to have in flowers and leaves. Acers, �Garnet�, �Bloodgood�, �Atropurpureum� and �Osakazuki,� are all perfect.

The SOUTH WEST is the Earth Mother corner, symbolising physical relationships, earth element. Any plants here should be bright and thriving, with orange, yellow, pink and red flowers. Peonies are especially useful in this sector and after a Chinese wedding a bright red peony is planted in the South West corner of the newly married couple�s home. This South Western corner can be really Oriental in flavour with gravel, pebbles, rocks and Japanese lanterns. You may wish to place a Buddha, Kuan Yin, the female Buddha of Compassion in this area. She could also go in the West, area of Children.  Any ornaments here should be preferably be made of stone and any pairs of birds or people, especially lovers are very good. Also in this sector ornaments of mandarin ducks are excellent. These ducks are believed to mate for life and so represent a long, happy and deep relationship with a loved one. A pair of cranes are also good, one preening while the other stands on guard! Any windchimes used here would be best in crystal or pottery.

The WEST needs to contain rounded shapes to enhance its metal element. This is the sector of children, new projects, pleasure, joy and creativity. It is interesting that in Japan and to a certain extent in Ancient China, �houses of ill repute, of pleasure�, always had their gateways in the West! It is also the �realm of the White Tiger�.
White fragrant flowers in this sector are excellent to keep the Tiger dozing. If a pathway enters this sector then small lanterns along it will keep the power of the Tiger away. Metal windchimes and tinkling bells are excellent in this sector as are the colours of white, silver, cream, gold and bronze.

The NORTH WEST is once again a metal sector, zone of influential people, important meetings, mentors and networking, so the colours previously mentioned for the WEST,would also be very good here, as well as greys. Stone and metal sculptures are good, especially of warrior protectors. Windchimes and bells made of metal can also be used in this sector.

The NORTH—your Career and Life Journey sector could be used to place a water feature. Any blues, especially dark blues are good in this zone. Blacks can be used as well but do not overdo them. Perhaps a clump of Dragon Grass,� Ophiopogon Planiscapus �Nigra�! What a great name.
A Tortoise ornament here would be well positioned as would be a warrior figure. You could also have a birdbath here which would count as a water feature [as it would also in the South East].

The NORTH EAST, area of study, learning, ancient wisdom, spirituality and inner self is an earth element sector and should contain pebble gardens, small rockeries and any stone buildings. Stone Buddha shrines are also good in this area. It is a good place for a quiet reading zone, particularly if the reading material is about spiritual or philosophical matters. Herbs and alpines are a good choice of plants to have here and
the colours can be very earthy, oranges, reds, pinks, yellows. Plants in terra cotta pots are excellent in this zone. A barbecue is well positioned in this zone.

Finally, the EAST is the sector of Family, Health, Longevity and the realisation of ambitions. The colours here should be green and yet more greens of all shades. A bamboo here placed here is excellent. Bamboo was thought to be very good for health and longevity and the pine tree specifically for longevity. A Buddha of Ho Tai [the Laughing Buddha] or Shakymuni [the Indian Buddha] would be good here. Yellow Chrysanthemums are thought to be good in this area. There is a town in China where a lot of people live beyond a hundred years. In the same area are loads of Chrysanthemums and it is thought their essence permeates the water supply, thus helping with longevity. In this zone you could have other symbols of longevity, including cranes or deer. Ornamental fruit trees are thought to be good Feng Shui in this area.

Throughout the compass sectors in Feng Shui, any �poison arrows� -straight edges and lines pointing at your home, can be protected by using plants, trees, ornaments or combinations of all three. Any prickly plants such as roses, holly or berberis–if you must have them— are best located on a boundary, where they can be described as protectors.

Other Useful Plants and Ornaments in the Garden

Climbing plants represent water and are suited to the South East or the North, although you could use them in the East. A pathway should be curving and its best route is from the East, meandering down to the West. No crazy paving should be used at all. It completely messes up the flow of chi and breaks it into tiny fragments.

At the front of the house, wide friendly gateways are good with gates. The gates [and it is best if there are two] should open inwards and not be too high. The drive and/or pathway should curve towards the house and not go straight to the front door.

Common Sense

Never keep water in constant shade, it is so obvious. It will go stagnant and breed insects, there is your stagnant, unpleasant chi. Climbers up the house and large trees too close to the house are a bad idea, both from a common sense and a Feng Shui point of view. For instance, Wisteria, either, �Sinensis� [Chinese] or�Floribunda� [Japanese], is best grown on a pergola, not up the house wall. The beautiful flowers then hang down like grapes and can be appreciated. It is said that water high up, raised from the ground, as in a roof garden,or pool on a small hill represents danger, i.e., flooding beneath. For the same reason, trees raised above ground level in pots are seen as unnatural and therefore as unlucky.

Vertical fencing is seen as symbolising growth, but horizontal slats are thought to show decay and no growth potential. I find that vertical slatted fencing is so much stronger than the horizontal anyway. Woven willow panels are different in that the vertical lines are still emphasised.

Stepping stones used should be an odd number, which is Yang, preferably, 5, 7, 9 of them.Nine is excellent representing the eight of Earth, with the one of Heaven, so a fullness, completeness is arrived at. The first stepping stone should have three Chinese coins, tied together with red ribbon, Yang side up [4 symbols] buried beneath it. In Japanese gardens, the second stepping stone is often allowed to wobble slightly to remind people, to make them aware of the closeness of Death!