Harmonious Chi Gardening

By Ross Lamond

Whatever drove me to write a publication about harmony in the garden? I don’t honestly know. I wanted to write a book about Feng Shui Gardening but simply could not write it until my notes lingering on scraps of paper began to swell and demanded to be put together in a meaningful way.
Harmony is elusive and means different things to different people. I’ve positioned harmony as a condition of the mind tuning into its surroundings. The garden is a familiar place to most of us and we constantly seek new ways to relate to it. I believe a garden should be a place of harmony and a product of our design and efforts, rather than some chance meeting.
Chinese Feng Shui Masters observed the landscape and accepted each landscape as having different qualities to its neighbor. Successfully affixing themselves upon a landscape became a skill rewarded by prolonged health, happiness and prosperity. Those skills evolved over time and were interpreted differently, but all relying on the powers of observation, acceptance and recognition of being ‘one with nature’; something of reverence and compassion for the land rather than assault and conversion.
My interpretation of Feng Shui could be termed intuitive. It is a self-guided process and respecting those ancient Chinese who observed their surroundings and abided by nature’s moods and limitations. They recognized nature’s gentleness, forgiveness and unforgiving moods. The landscape urging to be respected and having harmony lie within it. Harmony needs to be found and nurtured. I feel we can enjoy a harmonious interaction with our surroundings by de-mystifying and attuning them to become places of peacefulness and serenity.
The garden offers more than a collection of plants and things. It should become a place of beauty, purpose and connectedness. I suggest that when we ‘garden’ we are connecting with our surroundings and potentially enter a deep bond with them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ross Lamond
• Release date: Jul 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9780980758801

Ross Lamond

Ross Lamond is the youngest member of a well-known and respected dairy farming family of the New South Wales South Coast, Australia. He schooled away from home, completing secondary studies at Sydney Grammar School, Sydney. Upon leaving school, Ross returned to the family farm and over a forty year period, gained extensive experience in dairying, beef cattle production, sugarcane, small crop cultivation and horticulture. An ever present interest in the garden naturalised into that of a nurseryman, landscape gardener and grower of in ground trees for landscape. Concern about environmental issues such as tree decline, dry land salinity and habitat degradation led Ross into external studies in Environment at Mitchell College of Advanced Education at Bathurst, followed by post graduate studies in Urban and Regional planning at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. A chance reading of a Feng Shui publication in 1998, introduced Ross to Feng Shui and its influence on our lives and surroundings. He applied some of its principles into the garden and developed his own interpretation of Feng Shui garnished through personal experience and observation. The interest has led Ross into a journey of self-discovery including that of nature, environmentalism and spirituality. It’s an ever growing interest. Ross lives by himself, has four grown up children, and likes to travel and garden and write about his experiences and observations.

Book preview

Whatever drove me to write a publication about harmony in the garden? I don’t honestly know. I wanted to write a book about Feng Shui Gardening but simply could not write it until my notes lingering on scraps of paper began to swell and demanded to be put together in a meaningful way.

Harmony is elusive and means different things to different people. I’ve positioned harmony as a condition of the mind tuning into its surroundings. The garden is a familiar place to most of us and we constantly seek new ways to relate to it. I believe a garden should be a place of harmony and a product of our design and efforts, rather than some chance meeting.

Chinese Feng Shui Masters observed the landscape and accepted each landscape as having different qualities to its neighbor. Successfully affixing themselves upon a landscape became a skill rewarded by prolonged health, happiness and prosperity. Those skills evolved over time and were interpreted differently, but all relying on the powers of observation, acceptance and recognition of being ‘one with nature’; something of reverence and compassion for the land rather than assault and conversion.

My interpretation of Feng Shui could be termed intuitive. It is a self-guided process and respecting those ancient Chinese who observed their surroundings and abided by nature’s moods and limitations. They recognized nature’s gentleness, forgiveness and unforgiving moods. The landscape urging to be respected and having harmony lie within it. Harmony needs to be found and nurtured. I feel we can enjoy a harmonious interaction with our surroundings by de-mystifying and attuning them to become places of peacefulness and serenity.

The garden offers more than a collection of plants and things. It should become a place of beauty, purpose and connectedness. I suggest that when we ‘garden’ we are connecting with our surroundings and potentially enter a deep bond with them.

This publication isn’t a rehash of Feng Shui principles. I accept the role Chi plays in our surroundings. I accept Yin and Yang for what it is and the relationship of the elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood in giving a garden structural balance. I believe Chi aligns itself to auspicious (Sheng) or inauspicious (Sha), and gardens of auspicious Chi are more harmonious. These are basic qualities of Feng Shui practice and well suited for the garden environment.

Harmonious Chi Gardening is a ‘how to’ manual and presentation of ideas collected through personal practices and observations over many years. In doing so, I’ve fostered a personal relationship with my surroundings. I believe we can become part of, rather than separate from nature, and I consider nature’s gifts to be wonderful presents to be recognized, joined and journeyed with; the journey being one of contentment, acceptance and access to harmony.

PART A - Fundamentals of Feng Shui

Feng Shui originates from China. It was used by the ancient Chinese to identify places where Chi (energy) is beneficial and abundant. It was a rural practice used to interpret the natural formations of the landscape to select places where the owners, primarily the wealthy and powerful, could be rewarded with auspicious health, happiness and prosperity. The popularity of Feng Shui has ebbed and flowed over the centuries in association with changes in Chinese philosophy and culture.

In recent times, Feng Shui has gained popularity in the West to facilitate beneficial Chi flow within the home and workplace. Its application within the garden is slowly gaining popularity as those wanting to enhance the quality of their lives, also seek to harness auspicious Chi from nature.

I’ve included below a few brief explanations of Feng Shui practices that I find useful in the garden. These include the role of Yin and Yang, Five Element Balance, ‘Sha’ and ‘Sheng’ Chi, and the application of my Eight Fundamentals of a site; light, shadow, shape, colour, sound, smell, movement and climatic ambience.

Chi Flow in the Garden

How can I best describe the difficult concept of Chi and its relationship to gardening?

I’ve found the best approach is to symbolise Chi movement and its fluctuations with a fictitious character called ‘Me Chi’. For me, ‘Me Chi’ is a wondrous little character that wisps and wasps around our surroundings. It flits and flickers from place to place, doing its thing, whether it is content or not. It is present everywhere but prefers to linger longer within harmonious surroundings. This is my kind of Chi.

In my publication ‘Wondrous Little Character Called Chi’ I present a narrative on ‘Me Chi’, describing how it resides in gardens everywhere. Its story illustrates the role ‘Sheng’ or auspicious Chi plays in forging the character of a place with its owners.

This little character has great qualities. Its auspicious energies can be absorbed and uplift us. Its energies are also strong enough to weaken and nullify negative influences that pull us down. ‘Me Chi’ likes to make its home where it can freely move around its surroundings, such as in the garden.

The list below describes what ‘Me Chi’ desires in a home and offers a few suggestions on how you can create such a place:

Chi likes to move in a meandering fashion so avoid straight lines and learn to garden ‘on the curve’.

Chi is responsive to all influences whether ‘Sha’ (negative) or ‘Sheng’ (auspicious or beneficial), so introduce elements that help balance these influences.

Add mystery, charm and complexity to your garden to enhance auspicious Chi and entice the little character to stay.

Chi responds to life, sounds, smells and movements. For example, plant flowers that are fragrant, encourage insects and birdlife into your garden, but not so many that a smell, sound or movement dominates.

Chi is transformed by places that are moderated by shape, colour and texture.

‘Me Chi’ does not like extremes in temperature, light or shadow. Moderate the use of shade to adjust sunlight falling in the garden according to the sun’s