17 Tips to Feng Shui Your Backyard and Patio Space Effortlessly - 2023

Have you ever wondered about how to add a touch of Feng Shui magic and charm to your backyard of patio space? Since ancient times, many Chinese people believe that the concept of Feng Shui can help provide harmonized energy to a property.

As such, it’s a style that’s commonly seen in many traditional Chinese properties. Moreover, today we still want to apply this ancient wisdom to our modern life.

Many best understand Feng Shui as the concept of Yin and Yang or creating balance with the Bagua Map. Yes, those are different means of applying Feng Shui. But they are hard to learn and understand.

Don’t worry, we’re looking at 17 simple yet effective feng shui tips to help introduce Feng Shui to your backyard or patio space. You might find this the perfect solution to transform your home.

Start with this guide right now to invite positive energy into your yard!

17 Tips to Feng Shui Your Backyard and Patio Space Effortlessly

Creating Feng Shui in your backyard or patio space isn’t hard. With this thought in mind, it’s important to consider the different options available to you – and we have summarized a few of these as follows.

#1 Consider your Yard’s Position

One of the first crucial things you should think about when introducing Feng Shui to your garden is the position. In order words, which direction does your garden face?

In Chinese culture, each compass direction has an orientation. As such, you should align your garden’s layout with these themes.

• Northern regions of your garden are water-oriented, so this area can align well with water features such as pools, ponds, and the like.
• Eastern areas are more wood-like in orientation, making them excellent for growing trees and plants.
• South represents the orientation of fire and warmth, which makes it less suitable for water, but ideal for plants and prosperity. It’s also good to put your fire pits  here.
• Western-facing spaces should always balance out eastern gardens; as such, plants are easy to incorporate in a well-balanced manner here.

In addition to these main compass bearings, it’s also worth considering the other “middle ground” areas of your garden. These include:

• North eastern corners are typically very rustic, so they may be suitable for small flowers and delicate plants. You should ideally avoid tall shrubs that could enclose the garden here.
• South eastern regions of your garden are ideal for mid-height shrubs and year-round flowers. These may help strengthen your family bonds.
• South western regions are generally rustic, similarly to north-western areas. Many homes will grow small fruits and crops in these areas, providing balance with the small flowers of northeastern areas.
• North western areas in your garden are filled with golden energy, which makes them ideal for growing ivy plants and the like. Blending green and white plants here is a great way to harness this unique energy.

#2 Avoid Entering your Patio in the North-East / North-West

Did you know that if you want to provide balance and Feng Shui on your property, you should consider carefully where you place your patio doors or gates?

Since energy typically enters from your gates and doors, it’s important to balance this with pleasant, relaxing scenery, free from unsightly areas such as garbage collection sites, hospitals, government buildings, and so on. Moreover, to further promote this balance, it’s often advisable to place gates and patios in the southeast or southwest; by contrast, northern areas of your home should be avoided.

#3 Understanding the Elements of Plants

The five elements of feng shui are metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. In Feng Shui traditions, every type of plant has a unique element. Adding plants with their respective elements to your feng shui design for your garden, patio, or room can significantly increase balance and serenity in your home:

#4 Never Plant Trees in the Centre of Your Garden

A common design choice in many cases is to plant large trees in the centre of your garden. However, this can encompass your home in shade, reducing the balance between your back garden and home. As such, large trees should always be planted out of the way so that their shade doesn’t interfere with the level of light naturally in your garden. Also, avoid placing your tree-like patio umbrella in the centre of your garden!

#5 Don’t Plant Trees Near Your Windows

Following on from the previous point, to achieve Feng Shui in your home, you should also avoid planting trees / placing patio umbrellas near your windows. This would further increase the level of darkness within your home while reducing the balance between indoors and outdoors. As such, you should always plant trees should always be planted far from your windows; make sure to trim any overhanging branches regularly to keep the windows clear, too.

#6 Follow the Feng Shui Theory for Plants

When planting any flowers or crops, you should always carefully consider the Feng Shui theory to help deliver balance. As highlighted initially, try to consider the alignment of each region of your garden to provide optimal balance.

#7 Choose Succulent Plants

To help bring happiness, success, and good omens into your property, the theory of Feng Shui believes that succulent plants with wide, thick stems and leaves can be highly effective. Try to avoid plants with thin leaves, stems, or fragile flowers accordingly.

#8 Remove Any Dead Trees and Plants

In many cases, we tend to leave dead or dying trees on our properties. However, Feng Shui theories believe that this will bring negative energy and distress into your life; if you notice that your plants or trees are dying or slanting, it’s time to remove them.

#9 Keep Your Fencing of a Suitable Height

The theory of Feng Shui asserts that a fence that’s too tall or too short can disrupt harmony in your garden. As such, aiming for a fence that’s between 1.5 meters and 1.9 meters may be ideal.

#10 Keep your Fences Level

Instilling harmony in your property can be tough, but one of the easiest ways is to ensure your fence is perfectly balanced. Keep your fence consistent in style and height to enhance Feng Shui on your property. Many Chinese people believe an uneven fence may bring bad luck and death, so it’s an important goal in traditional Chinese cultures.

#11 Choose a Square or Round Fence

Based on the principles of Feng Shui, a square or circular fence is representative of peace, harmony, and stability. As such, when planning your new fence line, always choose a stable shape that will help promote unity, solidarity, and peace for your property.

#12 Maintain your Fence at all Times

While there’s something quite pretty about ivy and vines on a fence, this can represent a level of disorder that’s not in keeping with Feng Shui. As such, you should always keep your fence clear of ivy and vines where possible. Otherwise, this may bring negative energy into your home.

#13 Don’t Use Too Many Paving Stones

There’s something quite luxurious and sophisticated about paving stones. However, traditional Chinese culture believes that too many paving stones can create a cold feel about your property, instilling feelings of loneliness, decay, and isolation. Instead, reducing the number of paving stones you use can help instil a sense of vibrancy, life, and energy into your garden or patio space, revitalizing and energizing the property accordingly.

 

#14 Choose a Semi-Circular Pool

Many western cultures have square, rectangular, or polygonal-shaped pools for practicality. However, based on traditional Chinese culture, these harsh angles can bring distress and bad luck into your life. As such, a semi-circular pool is often far more appealing, bringing wealth and luck to your home.

#15 Keep the Pool Away From Your Home

It’s tempting to place a pool b your home – but the refracted sunlight can significantly reduce balance and harmony inside your home. As such, the pool should be kept away from your home. This ensures that any refracted light doesn’t impact harmony in the property.

For example you can place Adirondack Chair or Chaise Lounges between your house and your pool, to achieve your feng shui goals.

#16 Only Have One Pool or Pond

Ancient Chinese traditions state that a garden must have only one pool or pond. Any more may bring imbalance and disaster to your home, because having two pools or ponds side by side translates to mean ‘cry’!

#17 Consider Pool Depth Carefully

If you’re lucky enough to own a swimming pool, ensuring that the depth is shallow is important. This provides a balance between relaxation and health; after all, a deep pool is hard to clean. You should also always keep your pool at least 80% full to provide a comfortable balance between empty and overflowing; this is also believed to promote wealth.

Final Thoughts

Creating a sense of Feng Shui in your property shouldn’t have to be an impossible goal. However, it’s important to consider some of the different strategies available to you to help make this transition more seamlessly overall. Hopefully, these tips may have inspired you to make some changes in your own home design, too – why not give it a try?

(All the tips above come from our website manager's aunt, a Feng Shui expert in Hong Kong.)

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Now I'd like to hear from you.

Have you ever tried some feng shui tips? How did they work?

Also, please let me know how the tips in this guide work for you in the comments section below and don't forget to share this post with your family and friends!