FENG SHUI IN YOUR DESIGN
Mary Ann Walz

Don’t let the title fool you. This is not an article about how to do a feng shui design for your garden. Rather, it’s about my fascination with the concept and how to use bits and pieces of it to create a pleasing design. I’ve listened to several presentations and read a number of articles on feng shui but confess that I don’t know enough to create a design that correctly incorporates all its elements or follows all its principles.

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging a space to create harmony and balance in one’s life. More commonly, it’s used for interior spaces but as gardeners we live outside for many hours of each warm summer day so it makes sense to have a pleasing arrangement of this space as well. Feng shui has five elements: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, all of which have equal importance and coexist in harmony. Certainly these elements, or representations of them, belong in our gardens.

Earth is the obvious element or starting point but it’s not just the soil. Stone or gravel that line paths, build raised beds or act as stepping-stones or patios characterize the solidity and permanence of earth. Add to that the element of wood or plant growth, or perhaps a wooden bench, a sculptural branch, or a tree. Fire might be represented through a fire pit or a grouping of bright yellow and orange flowers. Lights at night might also represent fire. Water can be incorporated via a stream or pond, a fountain, or even a small birdbath. The stream could be a dry streambed if water is too scarce. If that’s the case, you might consider adding a very small tabletop fountain that uses little water. Lastly, the metal can be integrated with a wrought iron trellis, attractive metal furniture, or a sculpture.

Viewing my bare gardens on this wintry day I look at how the five elements are represented. I have plenty of stone and I think enough wood, although I’m constantly adding new plants and trees. I also have old railroad ties forming steps down to the backyard.

Now I’m thinking of which elements need a little more emphasis. I often forget the water because we live along a river. I do use cobalt blue pots throughout the garden and the blue seems to represent water to me. I think I will get a pretty birdbath, probably cobalt blue, to add to one of my beds in the front. I have a spot in the back where I wanted either a small sculpture or bird bath. I will probably add a copper bird bath (the metal element) as my bird feeders are nearby. I have other metal elements scattered throughout in the form of a trellis, small obelisks, a wind sculpture, and a wrought table and chairs.

Fire is not well represented in my landscape. I have the beginnings of a fire pit but it definitely needs more work, specifically some benches around it to replace the logs we now use as seats. Bright fire colors could be more prominent in my plant palette. Lights along pathways and to accent gardens are also needed.

I now know what some of my summer gardening tasks will be. I can begin looking for the bird baths on my next trip to town and start thinking about lighting and benches for the fire pit. Why don’t you think of the five elements in Feng Shui as you look at your garden design? It’s been a fun exercise for me.