How to Design the Shape of a Feng Shui Flower Garden

Use the principles of feng shui to inspire your flower garden design.

Employ the principles of the Chinese art of feng shui to design a flower garden that feels balanced and harmonious. Feng shui can inspire creative approaches to symmetry, texture and color usage. It can also spark ideas for incorporating a mix of inorganic features, such as seating areas, lanterns and water fountains, into your landscape. Consider the overall effect you want to achieve to design a feng shui flower garden that maintains a happy flow between your indoor and outdoor spaces. Its shape will evolve naturally when you take both feng shui and landscaping principles into consideration.

Instructions

1. Select your flowers. Take notes on the characteristics of each flower you may want to include in your feng shui garden. Find ideas in botanic gardens, nurseries and catalogs. Read the instructions that accompany each flower you like, paying attention to its mature size, form, color and texture. Stay open to all types of flowers, as there are no specific plants you must include for your flower garden to be feng shui.

2. Notice your reaction to each flower's shape. Does a mounding, flowing flowering bush make you feel restful or sad? Does a spiky blooming cactus makes you feel jarred or energized? Take your gut reactions into consideration when deciding whether to use each plant; your feng shui flower garden is a personal space, not a formula. Design a dynamic garden that includes various emotional responses for a textured effect.

3. Include some common features of Chinese gardens in your design. Imagine that you are creating a painting. Start with architecture, rocks and water, then add flowers and other plants. Include a mountain view, a lake, an island or boat in water, a waterfall, intricate painted details on walkways and structures, and terracing. Think of creative ways to incorporate features you don't have. Paint a mountain view on a garden shed; include a large birdbath with a hand-carved wooden toy boat in lieu of a lake with an island.

4. Use the five elements to guide your design. Add fire by using the color red and triangular shapes. Maple trees, holly and a fire pit are all symbolic of fire. Add water with asymmetrical, natural flowing shapes, such as that of the butterfly bush and the elephant ear plant. "Water" flowers can be dark colors, like purple-black and dark blue. Add mirrors, birdbaths and crystal for their reflective qualities. Wood elements are columnar. Use bamboo, iris, decks, mulch and benches to represent wood. Rocks symbolize metal, as do circular and arched shapes and the color white. Plant spirea and dogwood and add a gong or an iron fence to represent metal. Earth elements mean yellows, squares, terracotta and bricks. Plant black-eyed Susans, coreopsis and day lilies for an earthy feel.

5. Use repetition and balance to execute your design harmoniously. Planting the same flower in groups of odd numbers is a good rule of thumb; three yellow and white, earthy daisy plants mixed with five fiery yarrow plants will light up a sunny spot. Plant seven azalea bushes with five roses near the foundation of a large house. A river of daffodils and iris flowing along a sunny border creates a strong, cohesive and vibrant visual impact.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a Chinese carp windsock to your garden for a final touch of good luck -- some feng shui practitioners believe that this accessory attracts wealth.

References

• University of Vermont: Garden Design and Styles
• Feng Shui Vibes: Feng Shui Garden Design
• University of Florida: Landscape Design: Finding Inspiration for a Design Theme