A little yin, a little yang: Feng shui for your garden

Is your garden calling out to you to do something, but you don't know where to start?

Feng shui practitioner Bonnie Primm of Norfolk, Va., has some simple solutions.

"We all need to start with what we have and some idea of what we want because time and money and the largest piece -- energy -- will always prevail," she says.

Here are some everyday garden feng shui tips from Primm that can be your guide:

Begin with balance. Balancing your planting scheme begins with the back of the planting area where you plant higher (yang) than the next layer and again with the third layer in front until you reach three tiers descending in height to lowest (yin) -- 3 is a magic number for balance in feng shui. This concept applies when you use property lines as the visual focus; if you plant in spaces away from the property lines, the tallest plants will be in the center -- but not too tall or you risk good proportion. Vegetable gardens are done the same way. Mix even more -- high/low, open/tight and light/dark within the planting.

Incorporate texture. Yin and yang also dwell in texture. Use open, longer stems, like Shasta daisies, that create motion when the wind caresses them. Descend your plantings with seasonal flowers or perennials where the flower heads are more condensed with each layer until you reach rounder, close-flowering plants that group together.

Rocks, garden sculpture, patios, benches, pergolas/gazebos and swings all add visual interest

"We love gardens because we find the balance we want to feel within ourselves in the creations of our outdoor spaces," Primm says. "The 'hard' sculptures are yang to the flowers' yin."

Mindfully use color. If you have ample room for your gardens, consider either themes of brilliant color or mixes of color. Multicolor plants "fill in" space as you look at them because all the colors radiate a vibration and take up more visual space (yang). If you have little room for plants, consider softer color flowers and plants (yin), such as shades of whites and greens. A yin garden is ideal for meditation.

Colors such as red (yang) give off great vibrations, followed by yellows and oranges and even whites. Blues and purples and softer colors like peach and pale yellow and mauve are more yin and "quiet."

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A little yin, a little yang: Feng shui for your garden