Gardening & Outdoors

No other plant has such an auspicious influence on feng shui in the garden as the prolific bamboo – symbolising longevity and good health it is a powerful antidote to sha ch’i. Of all the plants in China, no plant has been venerated to quite the same degree as bamboo. This is hardly surprising, for no plant – other than perhaps rice – has played such a vital role in the lives, culture and customs…

In the Feng Shui garden, you can use pathways and paving to create auspicious conditions in your garden. Nicola Stocken looks at ways of improving the beneficial flow of ch’i around your ‘outdoor room’ Ch’i is the invisible essential life force present in every form of life in the universe,’ writes Gill Hale in The Feng Shui Garden. ‘Where it flows freely and accumulates, there is health and abundance. Where it stagnates, there is sickness…

The sound and movement of water evokes a tranquil, contemplative ambience which adds a vital dimension to gardens, courtyards and patios. Nicola Stocken investigates water’s importance in encouraging good Ch’i in the garden Trickling, gurgling, cascading, splashing or murmuring, water features are beautiful in any season, a constant play of rippling reflections, of light and shade set against a background of luxuriant plants or mysterious stones. Water has the power to soothe and relax jangled…

For plants to thrive it is important that they feel comfortable in their surroundings. In the second of this two part series, Gill Hale continues the Feng Shui Garden ‘right place, right time’ theme Where a particular plant is situated will effect how it grows. When they are planted will also have a profound effect on their well-being as they, like us, are influenced by cosmic forces. Moisture, temperature and sunlight are obvious examples, but…