Feng shui is the Ancient Chinese art of creating harmony in your living space. Most people incorporate feng shui principles in their home’s interior, but they fail to take the exterior into account. Your home’s yard represents the entryway and first impression of your home; it’s important! You can refresh your outdoor living space easily by incorporating feng shui elements and principles that reflect each season.
Spring
Spring is considered a time for renewal. Plants start sprouting, flowers bloom, and animals leave hibernation. To reflect this theme of new beginnings, spring is commonly associated with the feng shui element of wood.
Declutter
Too much trash and clutter can affect the flow of chi and cause discomfort and disruption in your life. Yard clutter counts as well! Clean up your patio space, get rid of trash, and remove dead flowers and plants. If you aren’t using an outdoor item or tool, put it away or remove it from your life to start fresh.
Add Growth and Flowers
Your yard should reflect the new beginnings of the season. To add plant life to your outdoor space, plant vibrant-colored flowers and fresh, young plants. Vibrant flowers and plant life can represent abundance, vitality, and vibrance. East, South, and Southeast are great placement options. Be sure to maintain the natural flow of your yard.
Wood Accents
You can represent the wood element with wood furniture, decor, or planters. Trees work well for this, too, but make sure they aren’t positioned in a way that blocks or interrupts the entryway doors. If you’re not a fan of wood as a material, you can use wood colors, like various shades of brown, in your decor or furniture choices.
Summer
The fire element of feng shui usually represents the bright sun’s heat and the energetic vibrance of summer. Allow sunlight to drench your home to balance your decor with rich fire energy. Summer is an energetic season, and your decor can reflect this.
Fire and Lighting
If you want to go all out with balancing the fire element, add some warm lighting to your patio, especially when the sun goes down. A fire pit can provide excellent entertainment and enrichment while harnessing the element’s energy, especially in a south-facing backyard. The top middle square of the Bagua map can also be an ideal placement option for fire pits. Be sure to keep it balanced, though. Too much of the fire element can disrupt the flow of positive chi.
Balance With Water Features
You’ll also need to cool down in the summer. Don’t be afraid to add water features like fountains or pools to help balance the vibrance of fire with the calm of water. Where you place the water matters; choose the location on the Bagua map where your life needs the most balance and support.
Autumn
Autumn represents inward reflection in preparation for winter’s transition. In feng shui, autumn typically represents the metal element, which can translate to clarity, creativity, or precision.
Natural Seasonal Decor
You can keep your apples, pumpkins, and other gourds to decorate during the fall. They can represent harvest and abundance in your life. They also typically provide earthy tones to help balance the earth element during this metal-focused season.
Metal Accents
If you’re a fan of metal decor, now is your time to shine! Use metal sculptures, planters, or furniture in your outdoor space to allow autumn to thrive fully. Wind chimes can be particularly charming during blustery fall days.
Prune and Trim
Winter is a period of peaceful, still transition. To prepare for the cold, prune and trim your trees and shrubs. This eliminates excess energy during these months, and tending to your plants can also purify the air and your surroundings.
Winter
Winter temperatures are colder, so people spend less time outside. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t utilize feng shui in your outdoor space, especially if you enjoy it. Winter is often a time of grounding and reflection on the past and the new year. It is typically represented by Yin energy, which indicates calm restoration. Feng shui experts usually harness water or earth elements for this season. Prioritize the North part of your yard and home when it comes to orientation.
Focus on Earth Accents
Winter is the perfect time to balance the feng shui earth element in your outdoor space. The earth element can represent grounding and stability, especially during winter when the weather causes significant changes. Earth energy does not require any seasonal plants or decor that harsh temperatures can harm. Decorations using stones, terracotta, or ceramic work excellently to help harness Earth energy. A small zen or rock garden in the center of your outdoor space coordinates well with feng shui principles. Purchase some stones or gravel as ground cover or as accents in your yard. Local suppliers can provide great deals on delivery and bulk quantities if you want a larger zen garden space. I found affordable gravel delivery near me to create a large Japanese rock garden bursting with earth energy. You’ll want to utilize other elements to balance everything out, however.
Enduring Plants
If you’d like a spot of plant life during your winter patio time, you can provide some evergreen or holly shrubs and trees, typically in the East and Southeast areas of your yard. Since these plants can endure harsh temperatures, they can represent resilience and longevity in your life.
Create Stillness and Serenity
Winter is often considered a time of peace. Light blankets to keep you warm outdoors can be placed on patio furniture for comfort. Warm lighting and fire pits can help you balance the fire energy of your patio and keep you warm, too.
Conclusion
Remember to keep things simple when it comes to outdoor decor. Remember the balance of elements, good flow, and positive chi, and you can’t go wrong. You don’t have to change your outdoor space each season completely, but adjusting to the flow, energy, and rhythm of different times of year can promote peace and success in your life.