Essential Feng Shui Tips: Plants

Feng Shui Definitions

Plants are superb Ch’i enhancers when they are healthy and vibrant. They are used in Feng Shui to enhance, improve, and solve many problems, and they also provide us with the most fundamental enhancement, cleaning the air around us.

• Choose “friendly” plants, such as those with wide, rounded leaves or a generally soft, graceful appearance. There are many varieties of plants that fall into this category, including schefflera, philodendron, pothos, jade, croton, Chinese evergreen (aglaonema), peace lily (spathiphyllum), ficus, and most draceanas, ferns, and palms. Also on the “yes” list are blooming plants, which are excellent alternatives to fresh flowers. These include begonia, chrysanthemum, gloxinia, African violet, kalanchoe, Gerbera daisy, and cyclamen.
• “Unfriendly” plants with a sharp or spiky appearance should be used only when located away from people. These include draceana marginata, sago palm, yucca, and most cacti and bromeliads.
• Plants soften the hard angles and sharp corners found in furnishings and architecture. Use vining plants such as pothos or ivy to camouflage sharp corners on furniture. Soften sharp angles projecting into rooms, and fill in corners and unusable spaces with healthy plants. Make sure the plants you choose and the available lighting are a good match.
• Consider using silk plants in areas that are dark, high, or untended for long periods of time. As long as they look vibrantly alive, silk plants can substitute well for living plants. Bend branches and leaves to give them a more natural appearance. Silk plants tend to last longer than silk flowers (see Flowers), about 18 to 24 months. Dust and clean with silk plant cleaner on a regular basis.
• When a plant becomes diseased, infested, or unsightly, it’s best to “give it back to God” and replace it. Don’t try to nurse a plant back to health unless you have a greenhouse or area specifically set up for this. Healthy, vibrant plants improve the Ch’i; unhealthy ones do not.
• Place your plants in beautiful containers and pots. Make their container “homes” pleasing to the eye and the spirit, and make sure to protect your floors and furniture from water spills with waterproof saucers or mats.