Feng Shui your garden

East: The east supports family, health, long life and ambition. Boost the wood energy with lots of green, some yellows, reds and purples, and a little blue. Bamboo, pines and yellow chrysanthemums promote longevity, and ornamental fruit trees bring in beneficial chi.

A garden in the east is ideal for decking, a trellis or a wooden sculpture (such as a crane or deer, symbols of longevity). You could also represent the dragon, symbolic animal of the east, with a small raised area or a dragon statue.

Southeast: The chi here promotes 'richness of life'. To enhance the wood energy, have lots of small, mainly evergreen shrubs, or a lawn. Greens, yellows and blues are excellent colours here. A water feature will bring good luck; fish ponds are particularly auspicious. Alternatively, you could just have a statue of a frog or a fish, or a collection of shells.

South: The south symbolizes sociability and communication, making it ideal for barbecues and parties. This sector should be well lit. Choose flowers and shrubs in bright reds, yellows, oranges and purples; fuchsias are excellent because they are fiery colours and look like little lanterns. Greens (wood) are also beneficial.

This is a good site for decking, paving or gravel. An ideal decoration would be a statue of a phoenix, rooster, parrot or pheasant - or even some real birds, such as peacocks.

Southwest: The southwest, symbolizing relationships and couples, is ideal for a hidden garden. Good colours are pink or yellow (earth), or touches of orange, red or purple (fire); silver or gold is also beneficial, because it blends earth and metal. Earth and gravel, and stone, terracotta or metal ornaments, work well.

Paired statues of lovers or birds are very good luck; traditional symbols are cranes, with one preening as the other stands guard, or mandarin ducks, believed to mate for life.

West: The west is the sector of children, new projects, problem-solving, pleasure, creativity and relaxation. Enhance its metal energy with whites, creams, greys, silvers and golds, and shiny, rounded metal ornaments.

In addition, you can blend metal with earth symbols such as pink or yellow flowers, stones, or terracotta pots. The west is the realm of the white tiger, whose unpredictable power has to be controlled; plant fragrant white, cream, pink or lavender flowers, to 'keep the tiger dozing'.

Northwest: The northwest is the zone of helpful people, networking and removal of obstacles. The colours used in the west would also be beneficial here. You can enhance the chi of a garden here with stone, gravel, rounded cobblestones, and metal or stone sculptures, especially of 'protector-warriors', as for the north.

• Feng Shui your living room
• Feng Shui your kitchen
• Feng Shui your bathroom

Extract from The Feng Shui Doctor by Paul Darby, priced £9.99, published by Duncan Baird Publishers.