Good Feng Shui Container Gardening

Posted by on Jul 22, 2011 in Feng Shui | 6 comments

Those born in Hare year are gentle artistic souls, content to live peacefully in the abundance of nature’s beauty. This summer of Hare year 2011 is the perfect time to beautify your environment with soft lush greenery.

But what to do with an area that is basically just cement? Or a plain cement sidewalk, empty parking area, or any place with disconnected feng shui? Create good feng shui by adding healthy greenery; bring life to barren hard cement.

The Moon is in the Earth sign Taurus this weekend Friday July 22 through Sunday July 24. Greenery does well when planted during an Earth sign Moon: Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo. Taurus is the strongest of the Earth signs so luck is with you to garden and plant this weekend.

To begin, determine which plants grow best in your specific micro climate. Simply walk around the block and observe which plants are hardy where your live. Pictured below are plants here in San Francisco CA that do well in the shade; many types of ferns, a flowering New Zealand impatiens, a flowering camellia bush, and ivy.

Lush healthy greenery is good feng shui.

Pictured below is a big container garden on a nice wide cement sidewalk in San Francisco. There is still enough room for me to comfortably walk with the family dog Nani Loa because these containers do not block our movement.

These containers are also an excellent feng shui solution to the heaviness of the cars parked facing the home. Adding this live green barrier separates the cars and the street, and stops headlights from glaring into the home.

Ancient Chinese ginko tree in container garden

The patio containers pictured below are in my back yard in San Francisco. I live in a gorgeous Victorian building, in the Italiante style, one of the old “Painted Ladies” as they are called here. But the patio yard is a huge cement block.

What was once a spooky dead cement area is now lush with ferns (a Boston fern and New Zealand tree fern); a lush Swedish ivy plant that is neither Swedish nor ivy; a Japanese lily that blooms white flowers and is so hardy that it grows along the freeways in California; a large broad-leaf philodendron; and a celadon cymbidium orchid. No plant is spiky like a cactus, and no plant is in bad health.

Spooky dead area now alive with plants

Luck is with you to plant this weekend while the Moon is in earthy Taurus. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus, named after the goddess of love, art, and beauty. So now is truly the perfect time to add flowers and soft greenery, and to plant with much love.

6 Comments

  1. Great post, Susan! How do you feel about spider plants? Someone recommended them to me as excellent for clearing toxins from the air but I’m uncertain how they fare from a Feng Shui point of view. Thanks! Catherine

    • Dear Catherine,

      Spider plants are not used in Feng Shui because they are usually a hanging plant. The downward growing direction of the spider plant is not uplifting and inspiring. Any plant that grows while hanging down or drooping down, like a willow tree, is not advised in Feng Shui.

      A hanging plant, or anything heavy hanging from above, is not good Feng Shui. Instead, place heavy items on the ground and lighter items up high. For example, in a bookcase put the heaviest books on the bottom shelf and the lighter books on the upper shelves.

      Spider plants are usually hung in windows and block light, especially when the plants become overgrown because they grow fast. Too many hanging plants in a home can lead to depression.

      Also, the spider plant leaves are pointy. Pointy leaves are not lucky in Feng Shui.

      If you love this plant, one tri-colored or variegated spider plant in a container on the ground indoors or out could be OK if there is only one and if the creeper shoots are cut back. Still, the leaves are pointy, and this type of plant easily overgrows its container.

      If you already have one and will not part with it, cut back the new shoots and enjoy the oxygen. But do not get any more, and do not give away the new shoots.

      Plants do clear toxins, but please reconsider the spider plant. This one is just not considered lucky in Feng Shui.

  2. Thank you, Susan! Sounds like it’s time that I send my plants to the compost. I appreciate all the information you shared. I found it very helpful. Catherine

  3. Thanks so much! Fabulous information!

    What would be the best outdoor plant for around my tree in the relationship corner in the back yard…also my husbands office…Is Hydrangea good? Ferns? and also Jasmine as ground cover?

    Blessings,
    Le’ema

    • Dear Le’ema,

      Hydrangea sometimes requires a sprinkler system because it loves water and will wither if water is deficient. So keep this plant from ever drying out. And be sure to deadhead the flowers when the blossoms start to wither. Fern is lovely and lush. A jasmine ground cover is delightful. So do all three!

      In feng shui, avoid using plants that shed their leaves in autumn (deciduous) to become barren in winter. You want plants that are ever green, especially in your relationship corner.

      In a relationship corner, it is fortunate to have things in pairs. Each of these plants is one of the specimen, and totals #3. So perhaps redesign to have two matching plants, maybe matching ferns. Statuary of two intertwined dolphins, two colorful streamers, matching wind chimes,or two lights in the yard may not be to your taste, but you get the idea.

      Sometimes adding statuary of a couple’s Chinese animal signs is lucky, but this often looks best for outdoor statuary when the couple are the same animal sign. And be sure that the animals are the same size. For you, I don’t think you’ll want a Horse and Dragon out there. If statuary or other things in pairs would be tacky in your yard, just stay with your healthy plants.

      Of course, always keep this area clean, gently gardened, and well loved. Good luck!

  4. thanks so much perfecto!
    Le’ema

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