The Power of Plants in Feng Shui

We all know that plants are a benefit, but not everyone has a "green thumb" or the confidence to try to grow things. We know the symbiotic relationship of having plants in our homes: they produce oxygen and "breathe" carbon dioxide while we produce carbon dioxide and breathe oxygen. It's a win/win by anyone's point of view. But what about their Feng Shui connection? For our purposes today, I am only referring to their impact INSIDE our homes/businesses. I could do an entire series of their impact and benefit outside, but we will leave that for another time.

The first thing to realize about plants is that the main element they represent is the Wood Element. Depending on the shape of the leaves, the potential for blooms and the shapes and colors of the blooms, they can also have secondary elements as well. In the photo above, the plant has round leaves. Round shapes are aligned with the Metal Element. All live plants are also surrounded in dirt which represents the Earth Element. The container is made of earth, is painted white and has round and triangular shapes decorating it. I purchased this on purpose and with intention that it would enhance the Metal Element of the leaves' shape.

You may be asking yourself what difference all of this makes. Well, just like anything in Feng Shui, placement is everything, so once we have determined the different elements at play, we can more easily determine a healthy and positive place to put our little green friends.

Another factor that I like to take into account is the plant's name and history. The plant above is called a Pilea, but it is also known as the Friendship Plant and the Chinese Coin/Money Plant. It is a friendship plant because it produces lots of little "babies" that can be given away to friends. So when I brought this home, I put it in the Relationship section of my bedroom. This also happens to be where it receives the perfect amount of sunlight, and I am happy to say that I have recently given away one of its first babies.

In full transparency, I will admit that I have a green thumb, but in the past, that was limited to outdoor gardens including roses, herbs and vegetables. My penchant for killing succulents, orchids and lavender plants is legendary and I had to really give myself a pep talk before choosing to risk the lives of more innocent indoor plants! I am happy to say that I now have a healthy jade plant, a healthy money tree and a beautiful pilea in my room and they are all thriving.

The final thing to mention about indoor plants is that many of them are poisonous or toxic to animals so if you are a mom or dad to a fur-baby, be sure to do your research before adding any new green babies to your environment.