I mentioned in an earlier post that my mum came to the UK to visit us. During her stay, she passed down a lot of feng shui tips and suggested I change several things. One of the suggestions was regarding fake flowers and plants. She said that if a house is filled with too many fake flowers and artificial plants, it will attract a lot of fake relationships, like friendships, and also gossip into our lives. I’m not sure where she heard it from. But she is quite an avid listener of feng shui podcasts and Buddhism YouTube channels. Each day, the channels will share tips and predictions for the zodiac animals.
I do agree with her regarding fake relationships. My husband and I don’t have a huge circle of close friends that we can rely on. Some friendships can be somewhat superficial. Also, my children don’t have many close friends that they would consider inviting to our home. Maybe it’s coincidence or circumstance or the fact we are all introverts.
Anyway, I went back to my feng shui book by Lilian Too (Tip 80 Lilian Too’s Personalised Feng Shui Tips book, 2005), she mentioned that fake and artificial flowers and plants are completely acceptable and they are better than dried flowers and plants.
Feng shui is about creating a balance of energy (yin and yang). Hence having a few fake plants are fine, but just don’t overdo it.
Fake Vs Real
We all know that fake flowers and artificial plants are made from synthetic materials and they don’t have the same benefit as real ones. Also, it might take hundreds of years to decompose and as it breaks down, it produces micro-plastic remnants which enter rivers and eventually, our food chain.
But personally, I love fake flowers and plants as they are hassle-free. There’s no danger of me forgetting to water them and killing them! I am not green-fingered! I hate watering, pruning, fertilizing and rotating towards the sunlight to keep plants healthy. Having said that, fake flowers and plants are not maintenance-free at all. They can easily gather a lot of dust.
Towards the start of summer, I like to bring my fake flowers and plants into our garden to wash and dry off. Occasionally, I might lose some fake leaves or the leaves turn yellow or discolour.
Fresh flowers and plants bring enormous yang energy and this brings good vibes into the home. The moment the flowers and plants start to wilt or rot, they will quickly convert into a source of bad energy. Hence, if you like having indoor flowers and plants, you have to be careful not to allow that to happen. Throw the fresh flowers or plants as soon as they start to fade/wilt.
Where to place them?
Flowers and plants are suitable for living and dining rooms. It is not recommended to place live plants in the bedroom as they will bring excessive yang energy.
On the other hand, fresh flowers and plants are suitable to gift to hospital patients. The giving of flowers and plants is considered auspicious and brings yang energy to the recipient.
Another place to avoid is the toilet. Over-decorating or placing auspicious flowers and symbols in the toilet can create havoc as you energize the bad corner. In many of Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcasts, they often mention that toilets are the entrance hell gate (鬼门的出入口 Guǐ Mén De Chū Rù Kǒu). It’s best to keep the toilet lid closed when not in use and the door should be kept closed too. Toilets are said to create bad feng shui in whatever corner they are located. Hence, toilets are best to be made small and hidden.
If you are like me, who can not look after real flowers and plants, it is best to have fake flowers and plants. All you need to do is not overcrowd it and place it in the wrong area.
Remember, fake flowers or plants are better than dried flowers and symbolize yang and life energy whereas dried flowers represent yin and dead energy. When it comes to choosing plants for display, choose those ficus plants that have broad, rounded leaves. The money plant with its jade-like succulent leaves is a great choice.
Avoid plants that have thorns, especially cactus plants. Cactus send bad energy to the people around it. My sister once told me to buy a small cactus plant to place on the office table facing the door. This is to ward off evil people/colleagues from coming near. My husband worked from home and I bought him a small cute cactus from a garden centre. It didn’t take long before he got made redundant. So I immediately removed the cactus away from his office (at home). Luckily he found another job very quickly after. Is this coincidence or truly feng shui? What do you believe?
Disclosure: This is a featured post.