First impressions are important, not only when meeting people for the first time but also when seeing a home for the first time. After all, when visitors drive up to a residence, they immediately form an opinion: This is an attractive, well maintained, and inviting home or it isn’t. And more often than not, that first impression is correct.
Approaching a residence, people see two things: the house and the lawn upon which that house sits. This is why homeowners who wish to create curb appeal need to concentrate not only upon the condition of the house but also the lawn. Moreover, not only is an attractive front lawn esthetically pleasing, it also influences, for better or worse, a family’s health, happiness, and prosperity.
Chi and Its Impact upon the Lawn
Chi is the cosmic breath, or vital principle, that dwells within everything that breathes, including plants. The three phases of chi are sheng, si, and sha. Sheng is energy that is constantly moving or waxing; si is energy that is dying or waning; and sha is energy that is damaging and at times malignant.
If a yard has sheng chi, the grass and trees are healthy, flowers thriving and vibrant. If it has si chi, the grass and trees are unhealthy, flowers scraggy and perhaps blighted. Finally, if a lawn has sha chi, the grass is weed-infested and brown, trees unhealthy, and flowers dead or dying. However, if a lawn possesses si chi or sha chi, there are steps homeowners can take to replace these undesirable phrases of energy with sheng chi, or positive energy.
Creating Balance through Landscaping
The Green Dragon resides on the left of a house (when one is facing it from the street) and the White Tiger on the right, and balance must exist between these two forces in order to create sheng cha. For example, if there is an extension on the left side of the house, perhaps a wing or even a carport that juts out, this weakens the Green Dragon and allows the White Tiger to dominant and harm all who reside inside the house.
Balance, however, can be achieved through strategic landscaping. For example, plant a large flowerbed on the right side of the house, extending it out the same distance as the extension on the left side of the house so that the tip of the flowerbed and the farthest point of the extension are parallel. On the other hand, if the extension is on the right side of the house, plant a flowerbed on the left side. The important thing is to achieve balance.
Guidelines for Flowerbed Design
When planting flowerbeds, bear in mind that those in the front yard should be narrower and smaller than those in the back yard so the family will enjoy prosperity and benefit from unexpected opportunities. If the front beds are larger, the family will not only experience deprivation and missed opportunities, but also fail to receive support from friends during times of trouble.
Guidelines for Plant Selection
When selecting trees and flowers for the front lawn, homeowners should keep the following feng shui principles in mind:
- Although most tree varieties are desirable, as long as they are healthy and verdant, evergreens are the best choice for positive feng shui. In fact, according to the principles of feng shui, one well-situated evergreen is preferable to a grove of trees because a lone evergreen is “a feng shui tree.” Ideally, however, trees should be situated to the side or back of a house, not directly in front, because trees act as guardians, protecting the home against invasion by negative forces.
- Despite their popularity, azaleas are not a good choice for the front lawn since they encourage an over abundance of yin, as do banyan trees. The best plants to use in order to achieve balance between yin and yang are the magnolia, ostmanthus, and mechilia.
- When selecting flowers, the important thing is not so much the flower itself as its color. Yang colors are warm and vivid: bright and intense reds, purples, oranges, yellows, pinks, etc. Yin colors, though, are cool and temperate: lavenders, violets, light pinks, soft blues, etc. Consequently, since yang is more active than yin, a yang-dominant yard will make a home feel more energetic while a yin-dominant yard will make it feel more tranquil.
First impressions are important, and through a judicious application of the principles of feng shui, homeowners can create positive curb appeal while, at the same time, ensuring their families enjoy health, happiness, and prosperity.
Sources
- Kwok, M. & O’Brien, J. (1991) The Elements of Feng Shui; New York: Barnes & Noble Books.
- Simon, T. R. (1996) Feng Shui Step by Step; New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks.
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