Creating a divine outdoor area is one of the most important steps in developing positive chi for any home. In Feng Shui, an unsightly outdoor area has the power to overwhelm the home with sha chi or negative energy, which could render any indoor Feng Shui decorating almost pointless. To keep positive chi flowing in the outdoor area, the home garden should be designed in a manner that sparks joy, promotes tranquility, and nourishes the soul.
This process shouldn’t be difficult at all, and should be a therapeutic experience for any hands-on homemaker. To learn how to create a Feng Shui-friendly eden for your humble home, read this easy guide!
Allow the Bagua to Guide You
Consult your trusty bagua like you would in any other part of your home, and decorate your garden according to the bagua’s nine life areas. By identifying the part of the Bagua that corresponds to a specific space, you’ll be able to decorate the different areas of your garden, playing on lucky elements or colors. Find out which part of the bagua each section of your garden falls under and decorate each space with the following elements:
- Fame and Reputation: Garden lights
- Marriage and Relationships: A bench for two, outdoor items that come in pairs like small fountains or flower pots
- Children and Future: Wind chimes, spherical items like metal or clay balls
- Travels and Connections: Pale yellow or white elements like flowers or planters
- Career and Life Journey: Water features like a fountain or a koi pond
- Knowledge and Spirituality: A rock garden or a collection of boulders
- New Beginnings and Growth: Objects that stand tall, try tall plants like bamboo, or tall water features like an artificial waterfall
- Wealth and Prosperity: Luxurious features like sculptures or fountains, purple plants, and flowers
The Four Elements
In order to recreate the balance of nature in your Feng Shui garden, make sure that each element is well-represented in your space with the addition of at least one execution. Don’t skip this step, as it’s imperative to achieve the harmony that makes for a Feng Shui garden. You can refer to some of our examples below:
- Water: fountains, koi ponds
- Earth: rocks, pebbles, soil, sand gardens
- Fire: flame-colored (red, orange, yellow) flowers and plants, outdoor lighting
- Metal: outdoor seating, decorative watering cans, wind chimes
- Wood: benches, flower boxes, rocking chairs, picnic tables
Keep Things Pristine
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: clutter is Feng Shui’s enemy. As much as possible, maintain the order in your garden as often as you can. The key is to keep your plants at a manageable number. Make sure to create a garden you can maintain, because having to force yourself take care of a garden that’s too large to handle sparks resentment and regret, making for bad Feng Shui. Sweep away fallen leaves and remove dead plants.
Remember, it’s a garden, not a storage shed. Make sure all gardening supplies are neatly tucked in storage box after every use. If you must hang your clothes outside for drying, hang a clothesline in the backyard. You wouldn’t want your next door neighbor to see your favorite pair of undies blowing in the wind, would you? If you don’t have a backyard, invest in a dryer.
Natural Curvature
Much like planning interior layouts, sharp edges in any garden’s layout create negative chi that could ruin the garden’s Feng Shui. Keep in mind that the ancient art aims to recreate nature’s balance in your home; and straight lines are hardly ever present in nature. Go for curved pathways, ponds, and shrubs, as curved lines have the ability to help with the flow of good chi.
Think Twice About that Tree
As much as possible, avoid having a tree planted anywhere too close to the house. Much like decorating the home’s entryway, it’s important to keep any large hindrances from disturbing the outdoor area’s flow of chi. Don’t get us wrong, it’s fine to have trees in your garden, just keep them at a safe distance away from the house. Plus, having fallen leaves and branches constantly cluttering the view from your front door invites negative energy into the home, making for bad Feng Shui.
