The Feng Shui of your garden can actually make a huge impact on the inside of your home. The main idea behind this ancient environmental science is that everything is made up of a life force or energy called chi. Improving the flow of chi in your outdoor spaces can have remarkable consequences for the indoor environment. You can start by slowing down the energy coming towards your home by working on the outside first.

A well-planned garden can initiate the type of balance and harmony you are seeking. The optimum shape of a garden is a whole figure - one that is not irregular, but more of a square or a rectangle.  Chi fills a space like this much easier. When we lay the Bagua, or energy map, over an irregular space, there are often missing corners which can create problems in those areas that must be addressed.

Don’t just think of color in the spring and summer. Color radiates energy and is an attractor. If you plan your garden well, you should have some appropriate color throughout the year. Although certain flowers will not grow yearlong in this area, many plants have gorgeous colorful vegetation like berries and leaves through the winter.

When you plan out your beds and boundaries make sure, for the most part, that they are always curved. Chi moves smoothly when borders and edging are curved and not a straight line. If you have an abundance of straight lines and beds, you are moving the Chi too fast and it will not do its best work and may actually have a poor outcome. As with the interior of your house the energy should come in under control, moving slowly, and able to nourish all sections of our garden.

You may have an area of your garden that is hard to reach and somewhat hidden. If this is the case, you may actually need to have a straight path to it.  This speeds up energy to an area that has trouble receiving it. Once we manipulate the Chi to this problem area, there should be a stone bench, a statue, or a tree that will slow it down once again.

All environments can be improved by just controlling incoming energy.  A little planning will go a long way to making any environment help you achieve better health and improved productivity.

Steve Kodad lives in charlotte and is a real estate broker who is a Certified Feng Shui Practitioner and a Certified Home Stager. He is a published author and lecturer on these topics. For more info visit TheFengShuiCure.com or call 888-518-9099.