The art of Feng Shui, which comes from the Chinese words for water and wind, is a philosophy that practices finding the balance between our living spaces and the natural world. That makes it a perfect source for inspiration on how to design our yards, since they’re essentially a living space out in nature. Want to create your own Feng Shui garden in Edmonton? Here’s how!
Feng Shui And The Five Elements
This ancient practice integrates the five elements from Taoist tradition: water, wood, earth, fire, and metal. There are plenty of ways to incorporate these materials into our garden design! But it’s not just for aesthetic purposes””the philosophy promotes the idea that each one of these elements has an influence on a different area of our lives, and to make improvements and achieve balance in those areas, we must make use of the corresponding elements. Here’s what each element is said to influence in our lives:
- Water: Career, progression, flowing, and shifting. It is associated with wavy, curvy lines, downward directions, and the colour black.
- Wood: Family, wealth, and vitality. It is associated with tall, columnar shapes, upward directions, and the colours green and blue.
- Fire: Fame, passion, and brilliance, It is associated with pointy triangle shapes and the colour red.
- Metal: Children, fertility, helpful people, beauty, efficiency, and precision. It is associated with circular, spherical shapes, and white and metallic colours.
- Earth: Health, partnerships, knowledge, stability, self-care, and a sense of groundedness. It is associated with square, flat shapes, and the colours brown, orange, and yellow.
If you can integrate all of these elements into a balanced design, it will help to create a more harmonious life! Alternately, if there are specific areas of your life that you would like to focus on and improve, you can emphasize the corresponding element in your design.
Feng Shui Backyard Design Layout
Now, you’re probably wondering, how do I map out my garden? Well, imagine your yard and garden is divided up into an invisible 3X3 grid. That creates nine areas in your space. Each of these nine spaces represents a different area in your life. The bottom row of the grid lines up with the north side of your garden, and the top of the grid is the south.
Since each of these areas corresponds to an area of your life, the elements, colours and shapes that affect those same areas of life are most powerful when placed in those areas. For example, the west square of your garden rules creativity and children. So, if you wanted to start a family, you would fill that area with things like round metal tables and white flowers. The Southeast corner rules wealth and prosperity, so if you want more money coming in, add in a wooden birdhouse atop a tall wooden column, and plant some green and blue plants.
Feng Shui Garden Plants
Plants are a major component of this design philosophy, but some are more suited to it than others. Here are the best plants and their associated elements, for your zen garden!
- Red Camellia (Fire)
- Japanese Maple (Fire)
- Sweet Potato Vine (Water)
- Heuchera (water)
- Hosta (Metal)
- Hydrangea (Metal)
- Miscanthus Grass (Earth)
- Yellow Rhododendron (Earth)
- Rosemary (Wood)
- Potted Conifers (Wood)
Feng Shui Garden Decor
There are so many ways to integrate the five elements into your landscape decor! Metal tables and wind spinners, wooden birdhouses and carvings, water fountains, bonfire pits, tiki torches and other garden accessories all make great additions to the yard! Of course, you’ve already got the earth element covered, since the whole space is full of plants and soil.
If you’d like to get some new art, ornaments or water features for your yard, or if you’d like to get some new plants to really get those zen vibes flowing, feel free to visit us at the greenhouse, place an order over the phone, or order online! Or, join us for a zen garden design workshop to take your mindful gardening skills to the next level. We’re happy to arrange for curbside pickup or delivery, whichever you’d prefer.
