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Other Useful Plants and Ornaments in the Garden.

Any trellis should fit in with the element of the sector. Square and oblong shaped trellis in earth and wood areas, although vertically lined wood fencing is particularly good symbolising growth. Rounded topped trellis, concave or convex, is best in the West or North West.

Climbing plants represent water and are suited to the South East or the North, although you could use them in the East.

A pathway should be curving and its best route is from the East, meandering down to the West. Paving stones in the North are not a good idea [Check your'Cycles' to see why].

No crazy paving should be used at all. It completely messes up the flow of chi and breaks it into tiny fragments which are totally useless for A-B-C. Awareness, Balance, Calmness and Control.

As mentioned before, lights in the South [Fire element] are very good, as are fairly tall trees behind the house, as in the protective armchair of Form School Feng Shui.Often trees and especially lights can be used to fill missing areas, if the patio is L shaped, for instance. Incidentally, if the house is L shaped, which is not auspicious, then a patio which is brightly lit can usually fill the gap.

At the front of the house, wide friendly gateways are good with gates to suit the element, i.e., metal, wood, painted in the appropriate colour of the Pa Kua sector. The gates [and it is best if there are two] should open inwards and not be too high. The drive and/or pathway should curve towards the house and not go straight to the front door.

Remember, Earth element is harmful in the North, which represents Water, so avoid, pebbles, stones and boulders. In the South East avoid metal windchimes and metallic containers.

Think each time of the Constructive and Destructive Cycles and you will see which elements go together and which elements do not. Saying that, a little of the element in an 'unfriendly' area will usually do no harm. A small metal windchime in the East will be OK, but it will not do much good either, pretty as it sounds!!!!

COMMON SENSE AND FENG SHUI.

Never keep water in constant shade, it is so obvious. It will go stagnant and breed insects, there is your stagnant, unpleasant chi.

Climbers up the house and large trees too close to the house are a bad idea, both from a common sense and a Feng Shui point of view. For instance, Wisteria, either, 'Sinensis' [Chinese] or'Floribunda' [Japanese], is best grown on a pergola, not up the house wall. The beautiful flowers then hang down like grapes and can be appreciated. Wisteria represents harmony in Feng Shui symbolic terms and at the end of this lesson, I have included a list of other plants with their symbolic meanings.

It is said that water high up, raised from the ground, as in a roof garden, or pool on a small hill represents danger, i.e., flooding beneath. For the same reason, trees raised above ground level in pots are seen as unnatural and therefore as unlucky.

Vertical fencing is seen as symbolising growth, but horizontal slats are thought to show decay and no growth potential. I find that vertical slatted fencing is so much stronger than the horizontal anyway. Woven willow panels are different in that the vertical lines are still emphasised.

Stepping stones used should be an odd number, which is Yang, preferably, 5, 7, 9 of them.Nine is excellent representing the eight of Earth, with the one of Heaven, so a fullness, completeness is arrived at. The first stepping stone should have three Chinese coins, tied together with red ribbon, Yang side up [4 symbols] buried beneath it. In Japanese gardens, the second stepping stone is often allowed to wobble slightly to remind people, to make them aware of the closeness of Death!

Feng Shui in your Garden part III