Before the busy spring planting season arrives, it can be helpful to get a few of your gardening chores done early. In addition to getting some work out of the way, it can really rejuvenate the spirit to get outdoors after a long, cold winter. By incorporating a few feng shui principles into your garden preparations, you'll help to ensure a successful and enjoyable gardening season.
Out with the Old
Before you start planning your garden for the upcoming season, it's important to rid the area of last year's debris. Any dead plant materials should be removed from the garden area. Although these materials can be useful for adding nutrients to the soil, they can also be a drain on your garden's positive energy. If you prefer an organic approach to gardening, rake these materials up and place them in your compost pile. Once they have properly decomposed, you can then add them back to your garden to nourish your plants.
You'll also want to remove any broken tree branches or twigs that the winter storms brought down into your garden. If you have a wood chipper at your disposal, you could chip up the branches and add them to your compost pile as well. If not, see if your city is planning a yard waste clean-up collection for spring.
Once everything is cleaned up, thoroughly examine and assess your entire garden area. If there are any spots that need fresh mulch applied, get this task done before your spring bulbs and early flowers start to emerge.
In with the New
After a good clean-up, your garden areas will look fresh and ready for new life. Although it might still be too early to plant anything new, there are still some preparations you can take care of. Does your garden area have a spot where you can sit, relax and enjoy nature? If not, this might be a good time to shop for a small garden bench. If you took your wind chimes indoors for the winter, it's time to bring them back outdoors. Not only will the beautiful sound of wind chimes increase your enjoyment of the garden, but it will also help to encourage positive feng shui energy.
It's also important to remember that planting containers can be an important part of your garden. In fact, growing plants in containers can make it especially easy to add feng shui elements to your garden area. Because you'll be able to move your plants around easily, you'll be able to rearrange them to where they can bring the most benefit. For example, by growing different colors of flowers in separate containers, you'll be able to quickly and easily add the most effective colors to the proper areas of your landscape, creating the optimal flow of energy. For example, it can be quite advantageous to place a container of red flowers on either side of your front door. The material that the planter is made from can also be used to add the proper element to the most appropriate landscape location. Wooden planters, metal pots and stone planting urns can all be effective ways to add feng shui elements to your garden. Early spring can be a great time to plan your container gardens, so that you'll have beautiful plants ready to go as soon as the weather turns warm.
Artist, Jessica Ackerman, is a consultant with WallDecorandHomeAccents.com; she demonstrates what a well-trained eye can accomplish with kitchen wall metal art and restaurant metal art decor.