The design of your garden has an amazing affect on your family’s health and well-being. Here is how you can create harmony in your garden—which is considered a living entity—and bring peace and happiness within your home. Vastu Shastra is an environmental science written about some 7,000 – 10,000 years ago in India by rishis, or men of great wisdom. They observed the workings of Nature and recorded how different rays of the sun, the magnetic poles, the makeup of the land, soil, slope, structures, etc. affected all living things. It is the oldest recorded architectural treatise known to man and it is from this science that some of the world’s most enduring structures have been created.

According to the science of Vastu Shastra, all five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space) need to be in harmony. When a seed is planted, it requires that all five elements be balanced for a seed to germinate, sprout and become a strong, healthy plant. The disproportion of any one element— whether it is the quality of the earth (soil ph), the amount and quality of water, wind (air), sun (fire), or the amount of space it is planted in—will inhibit its growth. In this way a wise gardener sets up a balanced environment for his plants to grow free from disease and stress. Briefly, each area of your garden is associated with one of the five elements. The earth element is associated with the southwest area of your garden and creates a sustaining and grounding force. In the northeast, the water element is at home. This element allows plants to flourish. The fire element in the southeast supports disease-free plants. The northwest is related to the air element encouraging cross-pollination. The space element is associated with the central area of your garden, enhancing the flow of beneficial influences that nourishes the other elements. Positive magnetic energies coming from the north and the positive solar energies coming from the east promote harmony and balance. Here are five great steps you can use to bring the five elements into balance within your garden and make it a sanctuary that is not only beautiful to look and wonderful to spend time in, but will actually have an empowering affect on the health and well-being of you and your family.

1. Build up the southwest area of your garden to produce the stabilizing force of the earth element. You can do this with a rock garden, tall trees and even a stone statue. This will help to collect and hold the positive solar and magnetic energies coming from the east and north. Since yellow is the color associated with the southwest, choose daffodils, roses or wisteria to accentuate this area. This is also a good place for a storage or tool shed.

2. Represent the water element by using low plantings in the northeast that will allow the flow of positive solar energy. Add a fountain or reflection pool or pond in this area to reflect this beneficial energy throughout the garden. Herbs, white pansies or geraniums can be used as accents.

3. Add a barbeque or a fire pit in the southeast as your fire element. Red symbolizes this direction so plant tulips, geraniums and dahlias here.

4. Use wind chimes to balance the air element in the northwest. Since blue is the color of this area, plant bluebells, forget-me-nots and iris to enhance the influences coming from this direction.

5. Represent the space element by an open area in the middle of you garden. It can either be a patio or grass. Finally, by keeping your garden neat and tidy you will be maintaining balance and attracting the positive influence of each of the directions.

A well-designed and tended garden, using the principles of Vastu Shastra, will benefit you and all the members of your family for years to come. By reconnecting with the natural balance inherent in the environment, you will encourage better personal health, improve the quality of relationships and enhance well-being.