Enjoying harmonious colours
gives quiet satisfaction in
the garden
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The garden is a place where you go
to relax. You want your eyes to enjoy the
harmonious colours, and feel satisfied with
what they see. By introducing elements
of Feng Shui, which literally means wind
and water in Chinese, you can create your
own sanctuary of beauty, where you will
enjoy tranquillity and peace.
Creating balance, ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ is a
vital part of the equation. The former being
the dark, quiet, shady, flat and low areas
and yang, the tall, big, bright, sunny, strong
and vibrant aspects. Additionally, the five
natural elements of water, wood, fire, earth
and metal have to be taken into account.
Each element has a colour associated
with it: water being blue and black; wood
all shades of green; fire all the shades of
orange and red through to purple; earth
the browns, yellow, stone, and terracotta
colours, while metal is associated with
white, gold, silver and copper.
Paths represent virtual waterways that
your ‘chi’ or vital energy flows along, as
does the wind, both of which should be
flowing gently and harmoniously.
Straight lines are not usually desirable
as they tend to allow chi, or vital energy,
to flow too fast, the effect of which
subconsciously creates an uneasy feeling
within you. By introducing curves into
your flower beds and pathways, you are
encouraging your vital energy to flow
in a more soothing way.
Blending different forms of foliage
also creates a good balance. Put tall plants
like bamboo with shorter plants that have
plenty of width, and spiky plants such as
phormiums with ones that have rounded
growth and broad leaves or frondy foliage.
Select a balance of contrasting colour
combinations for foliage as well as flowers
and aim to keep this satisfying colour
interest throughout the four seasons of
the year. Where you have a large garden,
it is better to create separate areas, each
of which can have a different purpose
to introduce a bit of magic and create
an element of surprise.
For example, the southwest corner
is considered the area of romance and
relationships, so it is nice to have a bench
where people can sit together or perhaps
a statue of a couple embracing. The
northeast is considered the most spiritual,
seen as the quiet area, so it is an ideal spot
to create a place where a person can sit
and contemplate or think.
Water meanders naturally and having
water in the garden is always relaxing,
although in terms of Feng Shui some places
are more suitable than others.
It is important, whatever you do, to make
sure that it flows towards your home rather
than away from it so that you will receive,
rather than lose, the benefit of its energy.
Even an established garden can introduce
Feng Shui. This can be very simply done
by, for instance, positioning containers
to soften an angular corner. With a straight
path you can put containers either side or
make semi-circular flower beds diagonally
along the path to create an ‘S’ shape and a
gently meandering effect. The use of stones,
pebbles or rocks by containers can create
esoterically pleasing and interesting forms.
Sensitive use of garden architectural
features such as statues, gazebos and
beautiful stones can help to bring a relaxing
harmonious feeling, keeping in mind
that it is important not to use angular or
harsh shapes. If you have a square terrace,
you don’t need to change it because you
can introduce harmony by having a round
table with perhaps some round pots to
bring balance.
Using ground lighting to illuminate
your favourite features in the garden
can transform how you feel personally
even when you are looking from the inside
out, particularly during the long dark
winter evenings.
Sylvia Bennett can be contacted on:
01548 580989 or www.fengshui-living.com
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