Not everyone is given the gift of vision, where a simple thought can be translated into an idea, which can then be transformed into reality in our living environment. More often than not, we need to refer to visual aids and actual scenarios to see what works and what doesn’t. Once we have identified the feel and concept we have fallen in love with, the next step is to actually build it and this is where the confidence in making decisions comes in.

From selection of materials, layouts, movement flow to even the smallest details, we as designers have to make these daunting decisions. But take some comfort from the fact that there is never a right or wrong decision, but rather right or wrong paths. When we move down a road that your gut instinct knows is the wrong path, take a pause and see what doesn’t fit in the whole scenario, then either redo the whole thing or try a different technique.

Take for example the garden. Not the easiest of areas to dwell your designer fingers into, especially if you lack the green thumb, but this should not stop you from taking a plunge into the aesthetic world.

STEP 1 – Creating the Vision

So how do we create a vision? The easiest way is to tap your inner instincts or gut feel. Run through those design books and magazines, and feel from your heart what draws your eye or inspires you, rather than thinking of how to get around building it or what the costs would be. The construction and elements we put inside are the minor details, which should not be the cause to hamper your creative juices.

In this example, the idea of water and landscape comes to mind and the thrill of creating a stream in your backyard would be a luxury beyond any other. Look at the balance of soft flowing water with lush green grass textured with large stone boulders. Here, the key is the creation of a water path that offers a sense of tranquillity and peace.

However, a simple designed hammock can also add interest to your garden. Remember it is not how much we spend on our garden but what we place in it that creates the vision. In this case, the hammock reminds us of rest and sleep, and through this single item, it creates an aura of revitalization.

Not everyone has a garden fit for a king, but there are some key values to pick up from grandiose mansions that we may incorporate into our own homes. Look at this scene and identify the key design tips we can pick up here. First, look at the symmetry of the garden and at how each boulevard is focused towards a central element, which in this case is a water feature. The next is the balance of the garden and trees, which in an orderly fashion brings about a sense of calm and clarity in the thought process. And finally, the key theme to pick up from here is that no matter how big or small your garden, functionality always precedes form.

How so? The garden is set in an East-West axis, based on the sun shadows, thereby creating a North Sought Axis boulevard, which leads to the building behind. In doing so, it allows the building to sit facing the garden in the axis that requires the least possible heat gain from the morning and evening sun. Shadows are thrown in an orderly fashion up and down the boulevard to give directional focus to the garden, as the last thing we want are diagonal shadows throwing a disorderly blanket onto the garden experience.

STEP 2 – Adopting Design Techniques

Once we have figured out what kind of look we like, the next step is to identify different techniques that can be used to design the garden. In this pathway design, disregard the body of water, but rather focus on the path itself. By creating a break in material or design, it creates a visual stop-zone; so whether it is a stream or bed of flowers or sculpture, consider creating a break in the pathway to control our flow of travel.

How do we do this? Either you can incorporate a different pattern in the flooring as shown here, or play with materials such as a combination of gravel and grass, or even a change in colour of the pathway, to create a pause to designate a stop-zone. Remember that it is usually the simplest elements that can create the biggest effects.

Always design your garden with the idea of night and day. Every so often, we are led to believe that the garden is only appreciated during the day in the most pristine conditions, but dusk is usually the time the beauty of your landscape starts to come alive. As the warm colours of the setting sun starts to radiate through the skies, the use of lighting bollards throws a different kind of life energy into the garden space to create a mystical ambience in the home that we can view and experience.

Finally, think of the landscape as your palette where each scene is its own canvas. Here, look at ways to play with the perspectives of the space. Identify the key elements and think of how they can fit into your garden space. Break down each scene into its most basic values, which in this case would be the central water feature, set dead center within the space thereby signifying the goal or feature piece.

Organize timber pergolas to create a perspective focus on the space, first used as a roofing member, which is then reflected as a vertical member in the background, which acts as a backdrop to the water feature. This simple technique helps us link spaces on different planes together by introducing an element in the foreground that is also reflected in the background. By creating this visual link, it allows our experience of the space to be drawn to two different areas, which we can then appreciate as a whole rather than in segments.

When we start to look at how to design either our home or the surrounding landscape, first look at what intrigues our soul and what sparks excitement inside of us. Each of us has a different perception and appreciation for different scenarios, so it is important to know and describe what you like and why you like it. The next stage is to look at the tools of the trade and how these tools and techniques are used to heighten our experience further.

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Draw up the site plan of your garden, making sure the shape and boundaries are accurately reflected in your plan. If your home is a standalone bungalow, your garden should include the front, side and back yards. If your home sits on large plot of farm land, you have the freedom to decide the shape and size of your garden. Regular shaped gardens are more auspicious than other shapes. Trapezium shaped gardens are acceptable, but avoid triangular patches – especially if the sharp end of the garden is pointed towards your home like a poison arrow.

Garden boundaries are essential and can be defined with the use of hedges, shrubs, fences and walls. Without physical demarcations to give you a reference point, assessing your garden’s feng shui will prove problematic. Once you have your plan, take directions at the center of your future garden and mentally divide the space into nine equal grids. An easy way to do this is to overlay your garden plan with a layer of tracing paper that contains the nine-square grid, marked with north, south, east, west, etc. Align the direction of the grids with the directions taken.

STEP TWO: USE ELEMENTS TO DRESS UP YOUR GARDEN

Now that you know all the sectors of your garden, use five element theory to design your planting plan and work out best placements for your furniture and fittings. For example, when looking at the East sector of your garden, this represents health and is ruled by the element of Wood. The number ruling the East is 3, thus having three Bamboo plants (which are excellent symbols of longevity) here is very auspicious for activating health luck. The Southeast, is the sector of wealth and is also the element of Wood. Wood is enhanced with Water, so placing a pond here activates wealth luck. The table below gives you a quick guide to all the elements, shapes and symbolisms associated with each sector. Note that your garden can also be designed to strengthen your personal luck energies. For example, the Horse’s location is South. Red-coloured plants here can greatly enhance the well-being of someone born in a Horse year. Placing images of your animal sign in their respective locations can also benefit your personal luck!

STEP THREE: PLACING GARDEN FITTINGS & FURNITURE

An outdoor patio, set against a beautifully landscaped garden creates an auspicious, relaxing atmosphere to entertain guests and family. The best sector for placing garden furniture is in the center, as this is the location that represents family harmony. Wood-fire ovens, fire places and BBQ pits are best located in the South or in Earth-element locations, as these benefit from the fire energy created. Install suitable shelter for sitting areas – such as an umbrella, hanging sail or extendable awning, as these not only provide shelter from the sun and rain, but also symbolize protection from harm. Keep your furniture and fittings well-maintained from wear and tear. Throw away damaged pots, containers and diseased plants. Broken furniture, decaying plants and rotting puddles will attract yin energy, creating illness and other yin-problems. Replace worn-out deck chairs and umbrellas. If you have a pool, keep the water constantly cycling and well-filtered. Water in your pool must NEVER be allowed to stagnate and get dirty!

Below is a guide for choosing the right type of furniture to create Yang energy in the garden:

STEP FOUR: PLANT AUSPICIOUS PLANTS & FLOWERS

A thriving and luscious garden abundant with clumps of healthy vibrant flowers and fruit is the best indication that a home is enjoying good feng shui. Invest time and effort in nurturing your garden, and your home will transform into a domestic paradise on its own. Trim your gardens often; do not let them grow wild. Keep your garden lush and green, well watered and regularly fertilized. Stay away from plants like cacti, roses, bonsai or any plants that have thorns. These create little poison arrows and should be avoided.

STEP FIVE: INSTALL A WATER FEATURE

The presence of a water feature in the garden always symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Building an artificial pool of water offers great scope for your imagination and creativity. You can construct your water feature in any way you like – a swimming pool, waterfall, fountain, fishpond or a natural cascade of water. The best place is the Southeast or the North. If you are planning to keep fish in your pond, make sure you keep it well-maintained, ensuring your fish are healthy and the water is clean.

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One of the key elements to improving the Feng Shui of the home is to understand how the landscape can have a major influence on the energy flow into the home. It is at the garden level where we can create the source of energy and determine the flow that would help enhance the Feng Shui. From the visual approach to the home, the proportions of hard and soft surfaces, the use of different types of plants and flowers, and the creation of space… all these attributes ultimately affect the living energy that surrounds the home.

First Impressions are Vital

the approach to the home is essentially one of the more important views as it gives the first impression you get when you enter into the property. In landscape Feng Shui, the front garden represents the bright hall to the home; an area that represents the luck for opportunity and success. So if you have a cluttered front yard or the plants are looking weak and void of colour, or the drains are clogged up, or even if the smell is unsettling, it all adds up to negative yin energy being collected which would have an adverse effect on the luck on the property. If your front lawn is filled with yin energy or if it exudes an aura of negativity, it leads to obstacles and blockages for the residents.

Start by de-cluttering the front yard by disposing of any elements that may create negative yin energy. Introduce fresh flowering plants to give an instant vibrancy to the space. Wood is the only element in the cycle of elements that has a life of its own which symbolizes happiness and growth energy. If you are lucky enough to have the space to design around the home, one of the key techniques to create a bright frontage is to distinguish a separate path for your cars to be parked out of site either at the side or the back of the property. By doing so, you can then clear the entire frontage to dedicate solely for the front entrance, allowing you to make it as grand looking as you wish.

Always Look For Balance

The other aspect to consider when landscaping the home is to balance the yang and yin elements through the choice of materials. If the landscape is overwhelmed by ‘hard’ surfaces, it creates an unsettling feeling where the surroundings feel too barren and void of life. In such scenarios, the surrounding air becomes ‘silent’, resulting in a yin environment developing, where the energy finds difficulty in manifesting itself. This makes it impossible for vibrant chi to enter the home.

Choose the Right Colours

In designing the entry approach to the home, try to maintain a balance in the materials and colours you select. Through flowering plants, you can introduce a whole palette of colours to bring vibrancy to any space. Based on the five-element theory, colours may be used to enhance the different sectors of the gardens. For example, in the East and Southeast corners, beneficial colours include blues and greens, so plants such as the grape hyacinth, aubrieta or bluebells are lucky here. For the West or Northwest corners (metal corners) light yellow and white carnations are suitable. For the South, a beautiful rose garden would be the ideal landscape feature complimented by bright garden lights to help fuel the fire energy in the sector for fame and opportunity luck.

For Earth corners, the key features to introduce would include a rockery or mountain feature in the Northeast and a water feature such as a waterfall or pool in the Southwest. Based on Eight Mansions, the Northeast is the sector of education and knowledge and in Period 8, it is also regarded as the Direct Spirit of the Period where Earth energy plays a vital role in enhancing for relationship luck. Landscape rock features should be designed to blend with the environment. Avoid excessive Earth elements as this may create an overwhelming yin feeling. Balance such rock features with plants and vegetation, and include garden light ballads to create Fire energy to further activate the Earth element here.

The Southwest represents the Indirect Spirit of the Period, representing wealth luck and as such, requires the element of Water to help activate it. Ideally this sector should be reserved for a water feature or pool. When designing a pool, it is important to help balance the landscape surrounding it and identify its placement such that it doesn’t interfere with the Feng Shui of the home.

In the swimming pool pictured here, the pool is located off-center to the left of the main door (inside looking out) and positioned at a short distance away which allows a broad reception area in front of the house. The floor is lined with stone paving to reflect Earth energy, but toned down in visual representation through an array of tree lines at both sides; these trees provide shade and security from the external forces of the property. Also another key aspect to keep in mind when designing the landscape features is the concept of proportion. The landscape features and the main house need to be kept within a visual proportion so neither one dominates the other. In this case the swimming pool is kept a mid-size length to reflect the massing of the house, so it is neither overwhelmingly large nor overly miniscule in size.

So when designing the home, it is vital to understand how the landscape can affect the energy and Feng Shui. Always keep in mind the design, for the approach to the home should be clutter free, balanced in materials and colour, and open enough to create that essential bright hall. Other factors that play into the landscape is the proportion of any feature, so make sure you do not create any features that may be harmful or out of place from the overall aesthetics of the home.

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The balance, harmony and proportions are important in creating good energy. At all costs, avoid poison arrows, anything straight, sharp, angular or hostile looking. The following are some tips for different kinds of garden structures:

Entrance Gates

1) The size of gates should be proportional to the house.

2) Gates should open inward, be symmetrical, friendly and inviting.

3) Do not engulf your gate with creepers or vines.

4) Keep your gates in a good condition at all times. A creaky, broken gate brings ill fortune.

5) Gates flanked by pillars are excellent feng shui.

6) Black gates should go in the North, East, Southeast; red in South, Southwest and Northeast and white in the West, Northwest and North.

Fences and Boundaries

1) Your boundary should not be too close to the house.

2) Your boundary should not be higher than the house. This will cause an imbalance of energies and direct negative chi inward.

3) Fences of walls around the house should be of equal height.

4) Be careful of fences or walls with sharp points within their design going either inward or outward; this creates negative energy.

Pavilions

1) These should bind the elements of a garden into an integrated whole and allow good luck chi to accumulate in the garden.

2) Pavilions should have open windows, or low walls, and an obstructed view of mountains or water.

3) Paths leading to pavilions should meander to encourage chi to flow in a gentle manner.

Garden Steps

1) Curved steps are better than straight steps and they must not be too steep or too narrow.

2) Steps should not be visible from the main gate, start directly in front of the main gate or be directly facing the main door.

3) Steps must not be directly in line with the back door. Keep garden steps to the side of the house.

4) Garden steps should be as wide and as spacious as possible, and preferably circular.

Barbecues

1) Make sure you do not place your barbecue area too close to doors or windows.

2) The best place to locate the barbecue is the South, Southwest or Northeast sectors of your garden.

3) Do not place barbecue sets in the West or Northwest.

4) If you can’t locate a suitable sector, use a mobile barbecue which you can store away after use.

Pathways and Stepping Stones

1) Never build pathways in a straight line with sharp angles.

2) Do not have steps coming straight towards your main door.

3) Pathways should meander and sweep in a gentle curve.

4) Flowers on both sides of the path create auspicious yang energy that encourage chi to settle.

Selecting Materials and Patterns

1) Avoid uneven surfaces.

2) The pathway should be solid, long-lasting look inviting and easy to walk on. It should not cause people not to trip up and all over.

3) The brickwork should be laid in a variety of attractive patterns such as herringbone, straight, stretched or woven, placed either

Sculptures and Ceramics

1) Place symbols of longevity such as crane, deer and tortoise in your garden to create longevity and good health luck for the family.

2) Place auspicious ornaments and statues around the garden to bring good fortune.

For Patio Gardens and Terraces

1) Add decorative features such as small pergolas, trellises and hanging baskets to bring good energy. They must be proportionate to your patio.

2) Introduce a small paved area with decorative stones such as pebbles.

3) Patios and decks are best located missing corners of the house.

4) If the patio is at the back of the house, you can build a small rockery in simulation of the protective tortoise mountain.

5) Place decorative large ceramic pots with good fortune symbols to encourage chi to enter, settle and accumulate in the area.

For Rock Gardens

1) Make sure the rocks you select are rounded and not threatening in any way.

2) Remove fierce or hostile rock for motions and do not place big rocks too close to your house. This will attract nothing but bad luck to members of the household.

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1st Step : Demarcate Your Garden on Paper

Draw the site plan of the land on which the house stands, making sure you get the shape correct and have the boundaries carefully marked. Boundaries may or may not be visually demarcated with a hedge, wall or fence. If there is no physical demarcation, the shape of the overall garden is not well-defined and assessing its feng shui will prove problematic, but if there are demarcations, it will possible to examine the feng shui qualities of the shape of the site itself.

After you have drawn the site plan, place a piece of transparent paper with a nine-square grid over the plan. When you superimpose the square onto your site plan, try to ensure that the demarcation of the sectors is accurately measured. What you want to do is identify specifically the different compass sectors of the garden.

2nd Step : Decorate Based on the 5 Elements

When designing the garden, you need to decorate based on the element of each direction. For example, when designing the East or Southeast, we can see that in these sectors, the Wood element prevails. We know that here Spring is the dominant season, where visuals take precedence over the other senses, where the best shape is rectangles and the numbers 3 and 4 are auspicious. It is a place where youthful outward bursts of energy hold sway, so you should keep this part of the garden for the younger generation. Use the table above to undertake similar analysis for each part of your garden.

3rd Step : Choose the Right Garden Furniture

Furniture and patios invite you into your garden to relax and enjoy the beauty around you. If you have created a place in your garden to sit and socialize, consider setting up an umbrella with table and chair, since this provides shelter from the sun and rain and represents the ultimate symbol of shelter and protection.

It is not a good idea to place benches in exposed parts of the garden. Also, always make sure they are well maintained. Any broken furniture will attract sickness. Throw away damaged pots and containers, and repair furniture that is broken. Use the table to the right to help choose the right garden furniture to create the right type of energy for the various parts of the garden and to effectively extend the living space of your family to take advantage of the outdoors.

4th Step : Select Auspicious Plants and Flowers

A beautiful garden with healthy plants and beautiful flowers is the best indication of a home that is enjoying good feng shui. A home surrounded by a well-tended garden reflects the presence of healthy energy synonymous with prosperous, happy and vibrant chi.
If you want to have good feng shui, you must invest time and effort making the land around your home come alive with beautiful plants and flowers. Do not allow them to grow wild and untended. This will create unwanted yin energy. Avoid plants like cacti, roses, bonsai or plants with thorns, unless they are outside your fenced property.

Auspicious Trees, Plants and Flowers

5th Step : Select the Right Kind of Water

Water as ornamental features of the garden have long been a crucial component of feng shui, particularly if you wish to activate for wealth and prosperity. Building an artificial pool of water offers great scope for your imagination and creativity. You can be very exact in the kind of pond you want. You can control size, depth and shape of your pool, and you can adjust its scale to fit your garden.

Ensure that it fits naturally into its environment. Excessive water can turn this wealth – bringing element against you. You can construct your water feature any way you like – a waterfall, fountain, fishpond or a natural cascade of water.

The best place for water is the North. If you are planning to keep fish in your pond, make sure the fish are healthy and the water is clean and clear. The best fish to keep are arowana, carps and goldfish. Turtles and terrapins are also very auspicious.

6th Step : Lighting in the Garden

Lights represent the fire element as well as life-giving yang energy. The use of exterior lights is an effective way of harnessing earth luck and enhancing family and relationship luck.

Lights attract energy from the earth and these energies can be channelled upward through hollow rods planted in the ground. Place garden lights in the South, Northeast and Southwest.

Note : You must create a good balance of energies in the garden. Balance means making sure there is never an excess of any single colour, shape or form.

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