21st century Feng Shui and plants that bring you wealth

Feng Shui teaches us that the challenges in our lives physically manifest in our homes, which would explain your messy bedroom or neurotically sterilised kitchen. It’s not just about redecorating: Feng Shui is about resituating yourself in space in a more conscientious and positive way, and arranging your possessions in accordance with ancient teachings about the environment.

The premise of Feng Shui (that we, and everything around us, is invested with energy) might sound out-there, but even the most cynical of us have inexplicable feelings about the places we inhabit. And as a philosophy that has been used for more millennia, surely Feng Shui has something to teach us.

The practice is ‘rooted’ in the natural environment and in plant cultivation: born out of ancient Chinese burial rites, but adopted by agricultural farmers.

In the hope of achieving eternal peace, the ideal resting place was on a gentle slope, with a larger protective hill or mountain behind and a view to a body of water. This land configuration, and associated philosophy, was taken up by farmers in the hopes of growing stronger crops. Better crops meant increased wealth, health and happiness for the farmers and their families.

Wealth, health and happiness, begotten from our environmental arrangement remains central to Feng Shui. In fact, since the Feng Shui boom in the 90s, built on selling overpriced furniture and incense, greater attention has been payed to the mind-body-spirit aspects of the practice. Rather than an interior design concept, contemporary Feng Shui emphasises the continuous flow between body, mind and environment, disrupting Western logic.

Certain plants have better energy than others - in fact some plants have actively bad Feng Shui! Dying plants give off bad energy, so that's extra motivation to keep your green friends happy.

Chinese Money Plants, Money Trees, Trailing Jade and Peperomia Hope plants are all thought to bring wealth and prosperity. With the exception of the Money Tree, each one has rounded leaves. Soft, circular lines draw in positive energy, whereas pointed shapes repel it - Eastern philosophers clearly weren't fans of cacti.

We're not sure if we're a hundred percent convinced by these classifications, but we're taking extra care of our Money Plants just in case!