According to Chinese popular belief, the five elements of fire, water, wood, metal and earth maintain harmony in the world. The term means “wind and water” and was believed to be the sources of the life energy Chi. Feng shui in the garden would allow the positive energy chi to flow through the room and bring all five elements into harmony. Not only the arrangement of the garden paths and flower beds according to the principle plays a role here, but also the plants that grow in your outdoor area. We give you a few examples of plants that represent the five elements.
Plants with red bark or redcolored foliage and leaveswith triangular or conical shapes represent fire.
These plants are Japanese maple (Acer palmatum); Sickle fir “Elegans”, which has a conical shape and whose needles turn red in winter; Japanese maple (Acer palmatum Sango Kaku), which has red bark; red-flowering camellias (Camellia japonica) and boxwood, holly and rosemary for their triangular or conical shapes.
Plants with black and dark foliage and plants with free shapes represent the water element. Such plants include butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii); Black Snakebeard (Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens); purple bells (Heuchera micrantha); Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and black sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas “Blackie”).
Plants with round or oval leaves and white or pastel flowers represent the metal element. Such plants include white hydrangeas, white-flowered rhododendron 'Gumpo', species of hosta, gardenias and camellias; and flowering dogwoods, which are white and bloom in spring.
Plants that develop flowers in yellow or earth tones or have a rectangular or square shape represent the earth element. These plants include the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Goldsturm); Japanese Aukube (Acuba japonica); Rhododendron 'Admiral Semmes'; Black birch (Betula nigra), which has yellow foliage in autumn; Miscanthus grasses such as miscanthus (Miscantus sinensis); Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) and numerous types of flowers with yellow flowers.
Long, thin plants represent the wood element, such as the Japanese arrow bamboo (Pseudosasa japanoca) and rosemary. Purple-flowering iris hybrids like Louisiana and ground covers like spotted lungwort Pulmonaria officinalis also work well.
