FENG SHUI IN THE GARDEN

Feng Shui, with the life energy existing in all living creatures and moving constantly, i.e. with Ch'I, enables us to control and balance our environment in a way to bring more balance, happiness, comfort and health. Feng Shui, main purpose being the continuation of balance and harmony, can also be defined as the art of placing and enrichment.

Feng Shui, providing the positive energy flow at residences and showing ways of preventing negative ones and yin and yang balance can be also applied at outdoors as well as indoors Even if your house has been decorated perfectly in accordance with the Feng Shui rules, if you didn’t apply the same rules in your garden the negative Chi (shar) will enter to your house through the windows and doors. It is possible for you to let much more Chi (living energy) inside your house and add liveliness, beauty and abundance by caring for your garden’s Feng Shui.

Pa- kua mirrors;They activate, regulate and circulate Chi. Pa-Kua is small mirror located at the center of an octagon wooden plate. It needs to be used very carefully.

The trees and the plants are the most  common problem solving method.  Since they produce plenty of chi they are extremely useful; The plants represent the family and health. Evergreen ones  are preferred, because the branches of the trees shedding their leaves can produce shar. It is a good solution to cover the  unwanted scebes or negative looking places. For example if a cemetery is visible from your garden you can hide it with trees. These kinds of places produce shar and affect you negatively. The plant’s being healthy is also very important. Withered and dead plants must be removed  immediately. Because this situation produces negative chi.  New ones certainly should be planted in their places.  It's more suitable to plant the trees at the back of houses instead of in front, since this forms a background in general garden landscape arrangement and serves as protector.

The plant groups must be at different shapes and height and no tree should be dominant over the other. This is a balance factor at the garden. Everything must be natural and shouldn’t look artificial. It should look as if it was developed all by itself.Therefore, using the local plants provides better results.  Different beauties can be created by sewing different flowers every season.

A FEW TIPS FOR FENG SHUI IN THE GARDEN

• The gardens which are slightly colored and with different tones of green used are accepted more. Because they represents the richness and abundance,  the evergreen plants are preferred instead of the plants shedding their leaves.
• The stones are used either alone or as a group. Because the hard stones contradict with the softness of soil and flowers, they contribute to the balance of yin and yang in the garden.
• A few plant placed skillfully instead of intensive plant groups is more appropriate and a good feng shui.
• The paths of the garden must be curvature. Because, it provides the natural flow of Chi.  On the other hand, it shouldn't bend and curve too much since this will remind a snake and it is not accepted as positive.
• Sculptures may be places where the peace is required.
• Having different heights and levels inside the garden is better than having  it plsin.  The stairs must be wide and low.
• The plants assumed to radiate bad energy such as cacti  or ivy  assumed to be the likely source of sickness are not favored in Feng-Shui gardens. Flowers with circular and wide leaves hold a special importance since they need much water and radiate the positive influence over the garden. According to the Feng-Shui masters, pine and bamboo are the most beautiful trees of a nice garden.   
• Plants are used to remove the shars, arising from streets, buildings or anything else. Choice of green plants to form hedge or any other plant to create the similar affect is useful.  
• All the plants are good in accordance with Feng Shui, but tall types (such as tall trees) must not be planted very close to the house.  The plants include very much yin energy. Therefore, they balance the yang energy of sun. But, if a tall tree is planted very close to the house it will prevent yang energy from entering the house and creates imbalance.  
• The attractive and healthy plants at  work place  rest area,  makes us  more active and energic.  It both increases the quality of production and provides satisfaction fromproducing. Indoor plants are useful in removing the indoor shar of corners creating hard angles.
• A plant with tall form must not be planted at the main entrance of the house.
• Flowers planted at the both sides of the road  to the house and the pots full of colorful flowers placed  at both sides of the front door  are extraordinary source of  Ch'i.  It makes the visitors feel welcomed and comfortable.
• Water represents abundance and richness. Water existing in the garden (swimming-decorative pool, decorative fountain) must be clean and flowing if possible. This way, the positive Ch'i is created.
• Existence of water at front garden attracts money symbolically.
• The existence of a garage is a recently met situation at Feng Shui. It is a negative area full of  stable Ch'i energy. The best garage is the one separated completely from the house  where Feng Shui is concerned.

A nice garden creates very much Ch'i. In Feng Shui we wish to attract lots of Ch'i to the main entrance of our house. By paying attention to Feng Shui in the garden much Ch'i is attracted,  by increasing the quality of life, we can be more happy. 
Feng shui is not a religion, a belief in moral meaning or magic. But, if used properly you can feel its important and positive affects in your life. It is necessary to be open-minded and avoid waiting for the positive results everyday, while observing the results. It is wrong to expect to get the result in one night or in one day. You also shouldn’t ignore the small changes. You will see the changing of many things in your life slowly.