Feng Shui your garden

Filling in missing areas
If your house has 'missing areas' or is an 'L' shape, you can correct the problem by 'filling in' the areas, in a way that suits the pa kua location, to include them in your garden. One ideal way is to build a patio there, to give you an area for meals, activities and socializing. Patio doors are ideal for connecting the energy of your garden to that of your house.

You can also use trees and lights. For example, you could install bright lights in a patio in the south to enhance the fire energy there, or plant fairly tall trees behind the house to protect the back of your property. To complete the missing area and give it life, add lighting at the corner.

Friendly gates
At the front of the house, wide, 'friendly' gateways (men kou) are best. Ideally, you should have two gates, which open inward and are fairly low, to promote friendly, welcoming energy. The gates should be a suitable colour and material for the pa kua location.

Meandering paths
The drive or path should curve toward the house, to provide gently moving chi; straight paths let the chi flow too fast. The most auspicious route is from east to west, to follow the sun. Ideal surfaces depend on the pa kua location. However, avoid crazy paving - it shatters the chi. Cover the edges of a straight path or crazy paving with low-growing plants such as creeping thymes or camomile, to balance the energies. Alternatively, put plants, in rounded pots that suit the pa kua location, on the edges of the path.

Water features
Ponds or fountains can provide strong, flowing chi as long as you locate them with care. Site ponds in dappled shade; avoid deep shade, which would make the water stagnant, or full sunlight, which would encourage weeds and algae.

It's especially good if the feature is visible from the living room, dining room or conservatory, to enhance their pleasant energy. Don't have it facing a kitchen or bathroom, or near a compost heap or septic tank, because it can boost bad energy from those areas. If you can't move a water feature, hide the 'bad' area with plants, a trellis or a rockery, as appropriate for the pa kua sector.

Auspicious water features
Pebble ponds or very small fountains have the best feng shui, because they mimic natural springs. Big fountains, on the other hand, are seen as unnatural and thus undesirable. If you want to keep fish, the most auspicious types are goldfish (traditionally called 'baby dragons') or koi (which turn into 'dragons').

It's best to have nine fish - eight gold and one black - or multiples of nine. In a very small water feature, you could have three fish: two gold and one black.