Photo by Leonard John Matthews

When you think of Feng Shui, you mainly associate it with the home or the office, rearranging the furniture and surrounding yourself with objects that attract good luck. However it is not only indoors that can be designed using Feng Shui. You can also use it to create the perfect garden environment.

If a garden is part of your property, Feng Shui should be incorporated into it. That will really help to bring you the best results. We all like our gardens to look impressive and beautiful. It allows us to appreciate our environment a lot more and it helps to release positive energy that helps us flourish. Feng Shui gives us the tools needed to create the most positive outside environment and the best part is that you don’t need a huge garden to use Feng Shui arrangements.

Incorporating Feng Shui into the Garden

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One of the main factors that you have to take into account when it comes to Feng Shui is that clutter is always a bad thing. This also applies to the garden. If you have a lot of clutter outside of your doorway you won’t attract good energy. Make sure that the entrance to your home looks welcoming and tidy. Also make sure you clean up once Winter is gone. The cold weather and the snow will cause leaves to stick to your lawn and in your flower beds. Once you have tidied everything away, you can truly start to incorporate Feng Shui into the garden.

If you want to plant trees in your garden, aim to plant them at the sides and around the back of your garden. Don’t plant them too close to your home as, although they are fantastic producers of positive energy, they can overshadow the home and look a little too imposing if placed too close. There should always be plenty of natural light shining into your home, so don’t place anything in the garden that will block out the light.

Photo by tassiesim
To draw positive energy into your garden, it’s a good idea to attract birds and butterflies. You can do this by providing a birdbath and plants that attract butterflies. These animals tend to bring positive energy with them, which will help you in your Feng Shui garden goal.
Also apply the Ba Gua to your garden. A lemon or orange tree in the Wealth Area is fabulous to attract prosperity to your life. A fountain or pond is also an amazing thing to have in your garden or front lawn to the left of your front door. Also make sure that you don’t have a tree directly in front of your front door or this will block the entrance of energy to your house.

If you like cacti, never have them inside your home. Instead, try to put them outside the windows, where they will act as protectors of the home.

Statues are also a wonderful addition to your garden, but if you are single, try not to use a statue depicting a single person, try to use pairs of things. Such a statue would do wonders in your Love and Relationships Area. A statue of children playing in your Children and Creativity Area is another option.

Finally, remember that water is the “blood” of your home. Make sure there are no leaks in your sprinklers
or anywhere else, since this will be draining your wealth.
If you live in an apartment and you don’t have a garden, but you have a balcony, make sure you don’t use it as a storage area. Apply all the same principles only at a smaller scale.

The idea is to make your garden, or balcony, as peaceful and relaxing as possible. You can spend months creating the perfect home using Feng Shui techniques. However, if that area isn’t arranged properly, you might be wasting all the efforts that you made inside the home.

Once you have created a nice peaceful garden setting, you will find that it really helps to rejuvenate the mind as well as the body and nothing but good energy will come into your home.

If you want to read more about Feng Shui and find more useful information, visit me at http://www.lifewithfengshui.com

About the Author

Rebeca has been interested in animals and Feng Shui for many years and now she want’s to share her knowledge of these subjects with people in a very light and personal way. Feng Shui has improved her life in many ways, and her cats and dogs, and the fish that came as a part of her passion for Feng Shui, are now a very important part of her life, and she’s very happy to share her experiences with people.

This article is courtesy of  www.articlesbase.com

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Creating the Perfect Garden Using Feng Shui

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• Basic Brick Pathway: The first thing that comes into our mind before creating walkways or paths is bricks. Using bricks you can give any desired shape to your path. In simple words, using bricks you can create several paths such as winding, meandering as well as narrow.

What’s more interesting is that bricks are available in various patterns and designs. You may even choose whether you desire to set the path in concrete or sand. Almost all people prefer opting for a concrete base!

• Rock-edged Gravel Path: If you are planning to opt for a rock edged gravel path, then your first step lies in laying down a layer of permeable weed mat. Some even recommend that opting for a black plastic lining would be a good option! But it has been found that laying down a layer of black plastic prevents the free flow of water.

• Concrete Paver Walkway: Concrete pavers are available in various colors and patterns. They are reasonably priced and simple to install. Your first step lies in measuring a path that has a width of three feet (approximately). Ensure keeping the path at a safe distance from trees, bushes and hedges. Ensure installing a wooden edge along the pathway’s length. Ensure creating a smooth sand base within the wooden edge. Now check whether the concrete pavers are well fitted to their place or not.

• Crushed Stone Path: Opting for a stone path (crushed) is yet another ideal option if you are planning to create an inexpensive garden pathway. This is indeed a simple and cost effective procedure that goes well with any sort of landscape. Flexible edging helps in creating a curvy as well as a flowing garden path. Crushed stone path is a long lasting one! However you need to replenish it from time to time!

• Flagstone Paths: Flagstone paths are said to be one of the loveliest ways for grooming your garden. This kind of path matches well with any landscape design. The wide range of rock formations produces a perfect counterbalance for excessive geometric spaces. The only thing required on your part is to estimate the amount of square footage that the path will need.

Photo by Fyda

• Loose Fill Paths: In addition to going in for rock or concrete materials, you may even go in for loose filled paths. Soft materials like mulch, bark, crushed seashells or wood may give a beautiful touch to your garden. Remember the fact that if you’ll have to pay much less, if you purchase in bulk quantities. Ensure opting for proper edging if you are really interested in protecting the pathway from weeds. Use a shovel or rake for smooth out the chosen material.

• Platform Walkway: Platform walkways are an ideal way for eliminating any issues concerning edging, weeds or water. Platform walkways are constructed in the like manner as compared to a deck. Interestingly, these pathways come at a fairly reasonable price. – http://commerciallawncareequipment.com/lawncare-report.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_M._Free

Originally posted 2010-03-03 14:51:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Photo by junhee_yeo

Vinyl or fiberglass pond liners are widely available at garden centers or through water garden suppliers. These come in a variety of sizes which offer flexible options to easily suit your particular needs. They can also be placed either above or below ground so if your space cannot accommodate a large water pond, such as with balconies, containers make excellent alternatives.

Nearly any type of watertight container can be easily transformed into a miniature garden pond. If it’s not watertight, PVC liners are available at most garden centers which will help to waterproof your container. Half-wooden barrels and galvanized washtubs are the most commonly used.

Photo by HailgumbyPlace your pond in a location that receives at least 4-6 hours of full sun. Make certain that your site is leveled off as well. If your space permits, stick your mini pond in the ground to help minimize the chances of it freezing over. Dig out the soil, keeping it large enough for your pond liner or container to fit into. Level off the bottom and add an even layer of sand. Place the liner or container inside and fill in around it with the excavated dirt. Add some water and approximately 3-5 plants, depending on the size of your pond. Water lilies, cattails, water hyacinths, and sweet flag are exceptional choices. Conceal the outer edges of your pond with additional moisture-loving plants and rocks for further interest.

Moving water adds character to the garden, and both waterfalls and fountains make pleasant accents. Garden centers and professional pond retailers offer many types of easy, do-it-yourself kits that fit nearly any budget or garden design.

Waterfalls can flow over rocks or run down retaining walls. They can be formal or informal. There are numerous resources available for waterfall ideas; however, different landscapes will affect the overall design. Therefore, to achieve a successful waterfall design, be sure to choose an area and design that will fit into your specific landscape.

Fountains always make wonderful additions to any type of setting, and fountain kits can make this possible. Fountains come in an array of choices to suit your personal preferences; they can splash, gurgle, spray, drip, etc. You can place your fountain just about anywhere. For instance, the bottom of a small pond or even a large container such as an urn, planter, barrel, or strawberry jar can create stunning homes for your fountain. Place the fountain pump in the bottom of your pond or container and follow the instructions included with your kit. Enhance the fountain with stones, pebbles, and plants.

Hollowed-out bamboo canes can also be transformed into serene water features. For example, drill some holes in various areas along the cane. Attach the cane, in an upright position, to a submersible pump placed in the bottom of a large container, such as a half-wooden barrel. Fill with water, plug it into a nearby outlet, and relax to the soothing sounds of water trickling from the cane.

You could also place a stone basin among a group of plantings. Make sure the basin is large enough to catch water. Hollow out 3/4 of a bamboo cane and cut this into two varying lengths, one long and one short, with the shorter piece hollowed only halfway. Slightly angle the hollowed end of the short cane (this is where the water runs out). Meanwhile, place a submersible pump in a reservoir behind the basin and secure in place using stones. Insert vinyl tubing through the large piece of cane, fastening the bottom part to your submersible pump. Drill out a hole near the center of the small piece of bamboo just large enough to fit the top of the larger piece inside, running the remainder of vinyl tubing through the small cane. Once secure, seal this with a waterproof sealant such as caulking (clear). Conceal the reservoir with plants. Fill both the basin and reservoir with water, plug it up, and enjoy its soft trickle effect.

If ponds, waterfalls, or fountains are not your thing, even the most subtle of water accents, such as basins and birdbaths, can add a sense of peace to your garden. Birdbaths can be nothing more than a shallow dish of water sitting on an over-turned container.

There are endless ways to add water to your landscape; simply use a little creativity and see what happens.

Author Bio
This article was written by Nikki Phipps and sponsored by Gardening Know How, your source for gardening information. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a live link back to www.gardeningknowhow.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

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In this article we will discuss the feng shui fire element. But first, let us overview the basics. According to Chinese philosophy, nature consists of five elements: fire, wood, earth, water and metal.

These are rarely found in their pure form in our homes. The main goal of Chinese teachings is to create an interior where every element is present, where it is balanced with the other elements, and where all of them emit good energy, bringing happiness to the lucky homeowner. You can achieve all of this, if you recognize the value of the five elements and understand how they interact with each other.

So, let’s talk about the fire element. This element is extremely bright, unruly, and powerful. It warms us and provokes us to act. It symbolizes vitality and intelligence. It raises the level of activity in a person. However, its overabundance can lead to irritability and temper.

Its colors are red, orange, pastel pink, purple and peach. The direction is south. The symbol is a phoenix. The corresponding body organ is the heart. Is has more of the Yan energy than Yin. It fits well with wood, and does not fit well with water.

The symbols of the feng shui fire element are fireplaces, candles, lamps, light bulbs, spices, wool crafts, leather crafts, feather crafts, and paintings depicting a sunrise or sunset. Items associated with this element have either a peaked or triangular shape, as this element is very dynamic.

The House of Fire: This is a house that faces north, and thus is believed to be located in the South. If you live in such a house, you need to strengthen its element.

An ideal design solution for such a house will include the forms that symbolize this element both, into the interior and exterior design of the house. The interior can include fireplaces, bold chandeliers, etc. The exterior can include triangular roofs and angular structures with sharp edges. These shapes can often be found in libraries and churches. The buildings with a fiery form excite the mind and emotions. People living or working in such buildings have new ideas quite often. The use of wood will help to increase your luck in this type of a house.

The People of Fire: These are usually flexible and thin people, with bright eyes and broad smiles. They are charming, cheerful, fond of fun, excitable and prone to frequent changes of mood. They love change, bright colors, and a cheerful lively atmosphere.

Some people are excessively fiery, which may have to be fixed. People, who find themselves unable to relax, and those who always try hard to be the soul of any company may have to pay with their health or wealth. To achieve balance you need to balance the feng shui fire element, by reducing the use of the color red and any triangular forms in the interior. The balance can also be achieved by the use of earth tones, ceramic ornaments, and rectangular furniture.

All in all, the feng shui fire element is one of the most potent ones, and you need to learn to use it the right way, in order to achieve the most from it.

Article Courtesy: www.articlecity.com

Photo: Pandora Firepot from Cool Garden Things

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Photo by seeks2dream

• Do clean out some of the leaves and brush that littered your beds over the winter
• Don’t mangle your plants while you do this and don’t over do the clean-up as leaf debris will enrich the soil
• Do trim your spirea, rose of sharon(you can really hack it back now),butterfly bush, hydrangea arborescence(white hydrangeas), hydrangea paniculata(tree form hydrangeas)
• Don’t trim your pink or blue hydrangea macrophyllas! They bloom on terminal bud from last year
• Don’t trim you viburnum, lilac, forsythia(wait till May), or fruit trees
• Do put grass seed down,fertilize, apply grub killer(if you have grubs)and weed preventers when the forsythia bloom
• Don’t apply corn gluten around young perennials-it will inhibit their root growth
• Do add compost, dehydrated cow manure and fertilizer to your perennials
• Don’t compress the soil in the beds as you tromp around
• Do cage your peonies
• Don’t trim rhodos and azaleas
• Do put down acidifying soil amendment on evergreens
• Do any extreme yew pruning now
• Don’t cut back your spring blooming clematis
• Do cut back your fall blooming clematis by 1/3
• Do get out your gazing globes, firepots and garden decor and dust it off and set it up in your garden to elicit ooo’s and ahhh’s from all your friends and neighbors!

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Photo by Eva the Weaver

Red worms are also called red wigglers because of their reaction to being touched. Usually when red wigglers are handled, their natural reaction is to wriggle about, thus the name red wigglers. Red wigglers are manure type worms. This means that they will consume almost any form of organic material. They belong to the family Lumbricidae and they are one of the most popular worms in commercial production today. This is largely due to their popularity among garden farmers. Farmers prefer worms over earthworms for the reason that they are more effective at converting organic material into worm castings than earthworms.

It all starts with the red worm’s digestive process. The little red wiggler worm, first of all, consumes the organic material through its mouth while it burrows deeper into the soil. It will ingest any plant material in any stage of decomposition and any other residues found at the surface. All of these ingested materials go through the digestive track, passing through the crop, the gizzard and finally through the intestinal tract. Then, after having gone through all these, the waste material passes out through the anus and into the soil.

The digestive process involves different digestive enzymes which help break down all the organic materials which our little friends consume. These digestive enzymes release the important nutrients stored within the ingested organic material thus enriching t ing the red worm’s anatomy. Some of these nutrients include sugars, amino acids and a number of smaller organic organisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoa. All of these smaller molecules are absorbed by the intestines. Any material not absorbed by the digestive process is excreted out of the anus, and thus worm castings are born!

Worm castings are rich, natural sources of organic material. They are filled with lots of nutrients and are very capable of holding moisture. Plants benefit from these things immensely as they also improve soil-structure and increase fertility. As such, it is sufficient to say that red worms are the most effective and enriching soil-enhancers available.

Explore the fascinating path of vermicomposting! To learn more about red worms and other great worm composting ideas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_W_Shaw

James W Shaw – EzineArticles Expert Author

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Choosing the Right Annual For The Right Spot

Every year when it comes time to plant your annuals there a few things you need to consider. The location of where you are planting, is the danger of frost past, what kind of irrigation system you are dealing with, what kinds of annuals and what sort of feel you want your garden bed to have.

Before you can even make any decisions about the colors and flowers you want to use you need to consider the location of your garden. For example, if you live in Michigan you need to know that Michigan has hot and dry summers, and late spring frosts. In this case you would want to pick an annual that can handle a light frost, such as marigolds, or begonias and can also handle the very hot and dry summer weather. The annual should hold up in extreme heat, but remember that all annuals need to be watered regularly, not over watered or you will just have dead annuals.

Is the spot a dry shade, wet shade, dry sun, wet sun, somewhere in between?

You need to know how much sun this location gets. Is it morning sun which is cooler or is it afternoon sun which is more brutal?

Does the spot get 6 hours of sun or less…because if it gets less than 6 hours, a full sun plant will not thrive. You are better off with a partial sun/shade choice.

So the next thing you want to consider is what kind of irrigation system do you have. If you have one that is professionally installed and basically waters the whole bed, then just make sure you adjust it to water only about 3 or 4 days a week for about half an hour.

Plants do not need water every day! In fact their roots need to dry out just a little so that they are encouraged to grow and reach for the water. If you water a plant too much it will surely die as if you never watered it at all.

Perhaps you do not have an irrigation system and will be watering by hand. Well that is something to consider as well. You will need to choose an annual that can go a few days without water in an emergency…like if you go away for a day or two. Find out from your local nursery what kind of watering is recommended for your particular region. They are usually very helpful and knowledgable.

Once you have considered all these factors and are at the flower store reading all the labels about Sun, Partial Sun, Shade…you are ready to think about the ways you want to combine your annuals.

It is really up to you, but consider that you may want the taller ones in the back. And to pick something that fills in around the other plants nicely and quickly, like a potatoe vine or some such thing. This will ultimately help to shade the bottom of the plants and help with water retention which will be good for the root systems.

Some people like a monochromatic garden and other people like all different colors…it is really about what you personally prefer. Once you have this part figured out you can add some cool garden things. Have fun and plan a little first to save some money later!

Originally posted 2009-06-28 19:42:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Choosing the Right Annual For The Right Spot

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