Feng Shui Gardens

Theoretical Explanation

Landscape design is not just a matter of putting up a building, planting trees and flowers, or building an artificial mountain. It is a means of revealing one's attitude of life by displaying landscape esthetically. Landscape needs to be restrained, gentle, and understated. We should modestly hide, not boldly dominate as is fashionable in the West. This enables a more intimate experience and sense of fitting into the environment.

The Chinese way of thinking follows a clear path:

Respect experiences.
Discern the truth by studying the past.
Stand between science and theology.
Combine ethics with esthetics.
In Chinese history no special ideal or religion controls spiritual life — real life comes before anything else. Chinese respect nature and self-knowing, and people adapt into a natural world more easily.

A Chinese will search for compromise while a Westerner wants a Yes or No answer. This constitutes fundamentally different approaches to landscape design.

In Western thought we oscillate between total belief in a Creator (ignoring real life) or a full belief in human power to explore and dominate the world (which in many respects also ignores real life). Westerners measure their world in human dimensions, with the formal garden recognized as a symbol of human power and achievement. Humans in Western thought are conquerors and improvers of nature, so people want a walled-in and controlled copy of Paradise (perfection beyond real life).

By enabling and worshipping human power, we lose our fear of wildness. We conquer nature, sanitize and "improve" it. And these ideas are intrinsically Western, coming as they do from Plato and Christian theology.

There is an attitude of profit regarding land in the West. The practical and utilitarian trend is Western, which historically was restricted in the East. In the East the attitude encompasses humility and respect for the forces of nature and heaven.

It is very rare in Chinese design history to place geometrical forms on hilly land, as is common in Western countries. Only in the Chinese Emperor's gardens were geometric forms acceptable, because for Chinese they are symbols of respect for natural forces (heaven and earth).

You will find nothing about improvement of the land, no modification of perceived imperfections or a need to control or dominate the landscape. Even the Son of Heaven would not assume he had the authority to do such a thing.

The four landscape elements are:

Mountain

Water

Plant

Building

Yin and Yang in the landscape consist of:

Stillness and movement
Unity and variety
Locality and generality
Scenery and subjective reactions

Practical Application

Feng shui patios and gardens are closer in spirit to rock, English or low-maintenance gardens than to formal, artificial and overdesigned European gardens, which are characterized by unnatural features such as severe corners, angles and straight lines.

Whether you live in a condo or a mansion, whether you are positioning a potted plant on your patio or having many acres professionally landscaped, putting everything in its right place according to feng shui principles will help create a healing, harmonious and natural environment.

In designing your outdoor space, be mindful of the three basic concepts of feng shui:

Energy flow (wavy or curvy is beneficial; straight lines are negative)

Balance of yin (dark, soft, passive) and yang (light, hard, active)

Generative and destructive relationships of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

Here's how to apply basic feng shui principles in your spot of earth.

Stand in the center of your outdoor space.

Use a compass to determine the eight directions.

North

Creativity, Personal growth, New ideas, Inspiration, Prospects, Career, Music, Art

Use: Water elements Good place for: Metal toolsheds, ponds, Jacuzzis Shapes: Waves & curves Avoid: Stone, clay, earth.

Northeast

Knowledge, Wisdom, Meditation/reading, Inner journeys, Spiritual and intellectual growth, Nature

Use: Earth element Good place for: Stone benches, rock gardens, repairing equipment, stones and boulders, statuaries, brick, flagstone, anything made from the earth Shapes: Low and flat surfaces Avoid: Plants and trees

East

New life and growth, Rebirth and rejuvenation, Harmony, Health, Family life, Nutrition, Healing

Use: Wood element Good place for: Fruit trees, herbs, medicinal plants, play equipment, sauna, tai chi and other exercises, trees, plants Shapes: Columns, cylinders Avoid: Metal garden accessories, patio furniture, tools, white flowers

Southeast

Wealth, Abundance, Material possessions, Communication

Use: Wood element Good place for: Cultivation and display of show plants, flowers or fish Shapes: Cylinders, posts and columns Avoid: Metal garden accessories, patio furniture and tools, white flowers

South

Opportunity, Dreams, Aspirations, Awards, Fame, Achievement, Happiness, Longevity, Festivity

Use: Fire element Good place for: Barbecues, fire pits, burning leaves, trees, flowers Shapes: Pointed and triangular shapes Avoid: Water elements such as ponds, waterfalls, and fountains.

Southwest

Marriage, Romance, Motherhood, Love, Relationships, Partners

Use: Earth element Good place for: Seating/dining for two, team sports Shapes: Low, flat surfaces Avoid: Wood patio or deck furniture, gazebos, fences and gates, the color green

West

Children, Creativity, Harvest, Socializing and entertaining

Use: Metal element Good place for: Outdoor entertaining, bar, children's playground/garden, convalescing and healing, sunbathing Shapes: Circles and arches Avoid: Barbecues, fire pit, pyramid, red flowers

Northwest

Trade, Interests outside of home, International travel, Fatherhood, Mentors and benefactors, Helpful people, Supporters

Use: Metal element Good place for: Statues of deities, angels, cherubs, animals, wind chimes, sounds Shapes: Circles and arches Avoid: Barbecues, fire pit, pyramid, red flowers.