Feng Shui is the art of balancing natural life energy or chi within a home for prosperity, health, luck and love.
Most practices include ensuring the smooth flow of chi in strategic and important locations.
But some elements of Feng Shui, such as plants, help bring in positive chi into your living spaces instead of redirecting its flow throughout the house, improving your wellbeing and prosperity in various ways.
After all, according to Chinese metaphysics, your home reflects your life.
According to David Daniel Kennedy, author of Feng Shui for Dummies, living plants generate their own chi and also represent the element of Wood (木), which symbolises ‘growth’.
While the type of plant you use is important, where you put them in your home can be equally if not more important.
Read on to find out more about how to use plants to optimise your Feng Shui for better luck and health in the Year of the Water Rabbit.
Best Feng Shui Practices for Plants
Using plants is such a popular Feng Shui method because it’s so versatile.
Plants are easy to take care of, can be moved around and they also purify the air.
However, it’s important to pick the right kind of plants for Feng Shui.
Here are some general guidelines:
Good plants:
- Plants with round leaves
- Plants with big leaves that point upwards
- Fast-growing plants
- Resilient plants (that can survive with minimal sunlight and water)
Bad plants:
- Sick or dying plants
- Prickly or thorny plants like cactuses (these create ‘sharp energy’ or Sha Qi which drain your personal energy). There are exceptions to this rule like snake plants and aloe vera, which attract positive energy.
- Toxic or poisonous plants
- Fake or plastic plants
Plant Power
Because plants are alive, they produce a lot of chi.
Plants brings in positive energy into your home and life.
But that’s not all, plants also act as ‘living cure’.
These cures help counteract negative energy and rectify any problem areas in your home (and in your life).
For example, if you are having money woes, you may want to put a money tree in the south-east section of your home.
If you’re looking to expand your family, you may want to put a fruit-bearing plant in the west sector to increase fertility.
Want to know more about other areas in your home that can affect your Feng Shui? Read on to find out.
Where to Put Plants in Your Home for Better Feng Shui
The main principle of using plants in Feng Shui is to increase chi energy in certain areas of your home.
And because you and your home are connected, the energy boost in these areas also boost a specific aspect of your life depending on where they are placed.
These special areas are called Bagua (or Pa Kua) sectors, which are split equally into 9 power centres that make up the energy map of your home.
Each sector is situated in specific cardinal and intercardinal directions, as well as correlating to a specific aspect of your life.
- East (Love): Marriage, family and those looking to get hitched. Good plants include orchids, peonies and jasmine.
- Southeast (Wealth): Finances. May overlap with career and reputation. Good plants include money tree, bamboo, and jade plant
- Centre (Health): Physical and mental wellbeing. Good plants include pothos, ficus, and snake plant.
- Northwest (Support/Travel): This relates to mentorships, patrons and benefactors. Good for globetrotters. Good plants include jade plant and pothos
- West (Children/Creativity): Fertility of body and mind. For expanding your family or creative projects. Good plants include jade plant, orange tree or any fruit-bearing trees.
- Northeast (Knowledge): Intellectual pursuits and academics. Studies, apprenticeship, or certification. Good plants include fern, jade plant and pothos.
- South (Fame): Reputation and recognition for both money and love. Good plants include calathea, anthuriums, and monstera.
- North (Career): Employment and business. Productivity, promotion, profit. Good plants include bamboo, money tree, and jade plant.
- Southwest (Connection): Romantic, platonic or strategic relationships. Good plants include pothos and philodendrons.
Awesome Indoor Plants to Use For Feng Shui in 2023
Here are some of the best plants you can add to your home for extra health, wealth and positive energy.
Bamboo
There’s a reason why this plant is the first on this list.
A multi-purpose chi enhancer, the lucky bamboo is the cream of the crop when it comes to Feng Shui plants.
When placed in the home, it can attract luck, love, health and opportunities.
Depending on how many stems it has, the lucky bamboo can symbolise different things.
This makes it perfect for any bagua area in your home.
Here’s what each number means:
- Two: love
- Three: happiness, wealth, and long life
- Five: wealth
- Six: luck and wealth
- Seven: health
- Eight: growth
- Nine: good luck
- Ten: perfection
- Twenty-one: blessings
Money Tree
Scientifically known as Pachira Aquatica, the money tree is a staple in Feng Shui due to its very name.
It’s been used for centuries to help draw money, prosperity, and abundance.
The most perfect location to put the plant is in the south-east corner of the home, the sector of wealth.
Legend has it that any family who grows the plant in their house will never experience financial difficulty. As long as its properly cared for.
But as luck would have it, the money tree is surprisingly easy to take care of.
The plant requires very little water and can survive with minimal indirect sunlight.
Jade Plant
Often confused with the money tree, jade plants or Crassula Ovata, bring their own kind of magic into your life.
They can quickly liven up any sector and can infuse much-needed good fortune in areas that can benefit from a little luck.
Bagua areas that can benefit most from jade plants include wealth, career, children, travels, partnerships and fame.
Some ways to properly care for a jade plant include placing them in indirect sunlight, watering them sparingly and repot every few years.
Snake Plant
While often avoided due to its pointy or sharp appearance (which in Feng Shui is bad luck), the snake plant or ‘mother-in-law’s tongue’ actually possesses powerful protective energy that can keep away bad chi or evil spirits.
Place them in bagua areas where you may want to counteract or cleanse negative energy.
Areas that can benefit from snake plants include wealth, career, love and other sectors that can benefit from a little ‘clearing up’.
Snake plants enjoy plenty of direct sunlight and prefer less water than other plants.
Pothos (Money Plant)
A good ‘all-purpose’ Feng Shui plant, pothos, or more commonly known as ‘money plants’, require minimal maintenance and are happy to grow anywhere in the house.
They bring in abundant positive energy, and help invigorate, dead, stagnant chi in the home.
As such, they are great for any bagua sector that requires a little bit of pick me up.
Just like ficus and ferns, pothos can quickly balance out and harmonise an unbalanced environment.
Pothos plants prefer bright, indirect light and dislike wet soil; so, water sparingly.
Philodendron
Due to their heart-shaped leaves, philodendrons are great for forging new relationships in love or strengthening existing ones.
This means they are a welcome addition in the east (marriage) and south-west (connections) sectors.
Due to their calming energy, the centre sector can also benefit from this plant, helping bring healing and tranquillity during a period of recovery.
Some general tips about taking care of philodendrons are to water only once every 7 to 14 days, placing them in bright sunlight and pruning often.
Flamingo Flower
Also known as anthuriums or painter’s palette, the flamingo flower symbolises abundance, joy and happiness.
They require very little maintenance and bloom all year.
Because of their striking appearance and vibrant colours, they are a great addition for your south sector (fame) and love/marriage sector (east) to spice things up in the bedroom.
Embrace the Life-Changing Power of Plants
Try out these Feng Shui tricks with plants and you may just change your life forever.
Even if you don’t practice Feng Shui, having plants in the home can greatly improve the space, reduce stress and anxiety, and even help with depression.
Moreover, plants have air-purifying properties, helping keep the air in your home fresh and clean.
They may even help with things like allergies by filtering out mould, pollutants and chemical residues from the atmosphere.
With all these Feng Shui tips in mind, you can have a wealthier, happier, and more prosperous Year of the Water Rabbit ahead! And all it takes is a weekend afternoon trip to your local plant nursery.
Motherhood wishes you and your family a Happy Chinese New Year full of love and prosperity, Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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