Gina Speed
We’re so happy so many of our readers have been picking up the Feng Shui vibe. (Be sure to check out our article on the bagua for a refresher course if you need.) Now that you’ve picked out one or two areas you’d like to enhance, it’s time to get serious about adding some greenery! In Feng Shui, plants are used as “energizers” and they work to uplift the energy in any room. Chi has a back-and-forth flow that is largely based on the principles of giving and receiving. Give positive energy to your surroundings and receive a sense of peace, balance, and harmony in exchange.
Plant Pets: The More the Merrier
Since plants give oxygen and recycle air, they are a wonderful addition to your home. Healthy plant life, specifically, bring new opportunities in Feng Shui. Depending on where you place them, they can enhance health, love, success, or wealth. Find a neglected corner of a room and breathe some life into it!
Plants Elevate Energy
It is also a good idea to place a plant near any electronics in your home. Computers and other appliances emit electromagnetic fields that can be draining. Also, the best types of plants are upward-growing with rounded leaves. Don’t shoot the messenger, but if you’re going hard-core Feng Shui, stiff and spiky plants are no bueno. Cacti, dead plants, dried flowers, and potpourri should be avoided if possible. One the other hand, a fake plant or arrangement of silk flowers circulate positive energy and add color to your environment. Fake energy insulates items; sharp, or dead energy promotes loss. If you’re not too keen on watering, you can mix real plants with quality fake ones and no one will be the wiser!
Slow Down Energy
If you have a room or piece of furniture with a sharp protruding corner, add some greenery to visually round it out. Long hallways and staircases produce a fast-moving energy that needs some tempering. Place a large plant at the bottom of stairways to help ground the energy and slow it down. Likewise, adding a few plants down a hallway keeps the chi moving, but at a mellow rate.
Press “Listen in Browser” to play immediately.
Make Bathrooms Healthy
In Feng Shui, bathrooms represent a major drain on energy because of the pipes and plumbing involved. Hanging plants in bathrooms increase the healthy energy and work with the natural humidity in the room as well. Pay special attention to bathrooms located in Wealth, Love, Career, Fame, and Health centers. Keep doors closed, toilet lids down, and pump that baby full of plant life! You can put silk plants around the base of the toilet to insulate energy and hang live plants above it (not on it) for easy fixes. Make a hanging kokedama string garden with our easy DIY guide – these work amazing in humid environments and require very little watering.
Rounded Leaves
As earlier mentioned, green life with rounded leaves work best. Try to avoid droopy leaves if possible, as you want to keep upward momentum in your home. The type of plants you use to enhance Feng Shui are not as important as the overall health of them. For example, a vibrant plant with droopy leaves trumps a dying money plant any day of the week! Find plants that are easy for you to care for and invest in some helpers if needed. Check out our recent article on creating sunrooms for some nifty plant care tips and more inspiration.
Go Big With Trees
Stepping up the size a notch, remember to incorporate trees into your decor as well! Trees add stability and healing to any environment. They are especially desirable in the Family center as they represent your roots and relationships. Remember to avoid trees with spiky leaves, since they create a sharp energy representing illness or financial loss. The energy of your home should always be expansive and promote happiness as much as possible.
Out With the Old
Plants can be treated like furnishings – proper care can make them last a lifetime. If you’re still figuring out watering and sun with your plants, that’s okay. Just be sure to recognize when one is past saving and replace it with a healthy new one. The natural beauty of plant life in you home will increase your health and well-being while sitting there and just looking pretty. Take your time and add one or two plants every few months or so and enjoy the process of caring for them! Cute plant kids.