A green framework holds the garden together and serves as a background for other colors. The six principles of design I used to create my succulent garden are proportion, emphasis, balance, movement, rhythm, and unity.

Entrances serve as directional guides and transitional points from one area to the next. (845) 657 - 0324 * Abundance – An ample to overflowing quality, created by the generous use of plants and materials, 10. Basic shapes stage the look of garden rooms. The main goal in Feng Shui gardening is to raise the level of chi in the garden and make sure that it moves smoothly and freely throughout the space. Chi moving too quickly doesn’t do you (or your garden) any good, and can actually help create an unpleasant environment that’s agitated instead of relaxed. However, the beauty of Feng Shui is that you can apply it and benefit from it, even if you’re a bit skeptical. Structures add to the sense of enclosure, screen views, and provide a center of visual interest. This view has been suggested to be consistent with the discoveries of modern physics. Designers of buildings and gardens would counult Feng Shui manuals or a Feng Shui master who would advise them as to the proper placement of rooms, paths, benches, and so on. So if you need a little more love in your life, make sure the Relationships sector gets the attention it needs. To the early Chinese, rocks, mountains, trees, cloud, and wind were all endowed with spirit, which to them was a type of energy that flowed through all elements of the universe. Visitors can find both physical relaxation and mental stimulation when exploring the dramatic 15-acre

The overriding feature of the palace gardens and the scholar gardens was the creation of small peaceful spaces, conductive to study and relaxation, created in harmony with nature. So when you’re designing according to the principles of Feng Shui, you’re really […]

These rules and guidelines help me to tackle something so abstract as good design.

During that period, Chinese kings and nobilities began the practice of developing forests and woods for the specific purpose of hunting. The tea house itself is, of course, in the Japanese architectural style of wooden beams, paper pannels, bamboo slats, a flat wooden tile roof, or flared ceramic tile roof, or possibly a thatched roof. For many of us, design of any kind is a daunting subject; it frightens us because we are afraid of making a mistake. The second six principles add decorative or finishing touches to your garden as well as personality, charm and, last but not least, fun! Filled with Chinese plants and framed by exquisite architecture, the landscape is enriched with references to literature and art. Shapes convey “personality” that creates certain moods. Yin-yang is based on a concept of the universe as containing complementary opposites — qualities that seem to be in contrast to each other but that actually work together. Olivebridge, NY 12461 Windows and doorways inside the house serve as frames for outside views. How the elements work together is called the nourishing cycle of the elements. Your Backyard: A Fun(?) Most people have a general idea of what a Japanese garden looks like, but most poeple don't realize that there are actually several distinct styles of Japanese garden. Click here for more. In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, the author’s brother, who has put off completing a school report on birds until the last minute, is paralyzed by fear as he stares at the blank sheet of paper before him. So if your oddly shaped garden is missing the Wealth sector, or what would be your Wealth sector is actually in the neighbor’s backyard, you may find yourself losing money or just having “bad luck” — things don’t go your way. For instance, if you’re not sure raising the chi in your environment can mean a corresponding improvement in your life, at least you’ll agree that keeping the clutter down makes your garden more attractive.

info@ferncreekDB.com. Contrasting surface characteristics of plants and materials heighten the visual impact in garden rooms. Enclosures unify house and garden into a cohesive whole, creating a virtually continuous living area. Focal points give space a focus and direction.

This huge expanse of manmade lakes and mountain ranges is considered the pinacle of Chinese garden design and was the principal example which influenced the European conception of the Chinese garden. Staggered bloom times extend the impact of the display while maximizing the use of the bed space. The solution comes in some simple advice offered by his father.

This is especially applied in regards to the human body, a room, a city, or the garden.

Rocks, water and plants balance in the same way that mountains, oceans and forests balance. The art of Chinese garden design began in imperial parks during the Shang Dynasty, around 3,000 years ago. All things are related and connected. Whimsy – Elements of lighthearted fancy, 11. Time – Various garden styles representing certain ages of design. The Chinese GardenLiu Fang Yuan 流芳園, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, is one of the finest classical-style Chinese gardens outside of China. Many elements of the traditional tea garden have become popularized in Japan as well as in America, and tea garden style landscaping, having no relation to the tea ceremony, can be found around homes and shops in many places. Repeated objects placed closely together tend to quicken the rhythm and the same objects spaced farther apart slow it down.

Later it flourished on a smaller scale in the private gardens of China's rich and powerful, and Darling Harbour’s Chinese Garden of Friendship is a small-scale version of a typical private garden from this era. Feng Shui, which is a Chinese design philosophy, means literally wind and water. Some larger tea gardens are separated into an outer garden with mainly deciduous plants, and an inner garden of evergreen plants, symbolizing everlasting life. Common natural features included ponds with carp and ducks, rocks, pines, bamboo, flowering plum trees, magnolias, ginkgos, maples, willows, banana trees, flowering camellia shrubs, chrysanthemums, peonies, climbing roses, jasmine, osmanthus, lotus, and bonsai trees, which originated first in China. By and large, most Japanese don't consider Zen or any religion when appreciating gardens, and enjoy them the same way we do - for their beauty. Therefore, all that is done in the Japanese garden is to be in harmony with its natural surroundings.

Framing the View – Directing attention to an object or view by screening out surrounding distractions while creating a visually balanced and organized composition, 4. Whimsical touches personalize the garden. A garden’s color scheme should match the house and other predominant features. In any case, it was a diverse and complex art, drawing on astromomy and astrology, geometry, numerology, and philosophy - both Confucian and Taoist, and tradition. Manufactured reproductions of original materials often fail to blend in with the natural aging of the garden. There were also numerous smaller backyard "scholar's gardens" at the time, a number of which still exist. Entries should be a part of each garden room. Before you can get started on Feng Shui gardening, you need to understand a few basic principles about the philosophy behind Feng Shui.

Common architectural features included stone bridges, small wooden shrines with the classical Chinese flared roof, flat and arched wooden bridges, and the moon gate. For more on garden design, check out the video below! The tea garden is entered by a stepping stone path, of which there are many types. You have to careful that you put the right elements together because the elements can sometimes cancel each other out. Focal Point – Positioning an object to draw the eye and to create a feature of attention, 6. Yin-yang is the idea that life energy can have a passive and an active side. The Five Elements (those qualities that make up everything in the world — Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire) must all be present and in balance in a Feng Shui garden. 12 Principles of Garden Design September 18, 2017 These universal principles have become the set of tools I use to create gardens that embody all the key elements of the world’s greatest landscapes but are scaled to each individual’s site, taste and budget. There is also something especially "Zen" about the dry style garden with its emphasis on simplicity and empty space - very similar to the well know Zen calligraphic paintings consisting of only one or a few characters on a large scroll of paper - a point that was certainly not lost on the original Zen practitioners, and was, in fact, taken to new heights in the temple setting. The Taoists (pronounced "Daoists") developed an extensive theory of how all things related to and balanced eachother. The persuits of the scholar - poetry, calligraphy, philosophy - were considered to be the hallmarks of proper nobility, and the garden provided the perfect setting for their practice, and so became a sign of social status. I use these principles in every part of my house and yard to make my home look and feel well-designed.