An Asian-inspired feng shui garden

A garden designer combines her skills and ancient philosophies to create her own gorgeous, serene front landscape and feng shui garden.

Kerrie Griffin-Moore is a passionate and talented garden designer who works out of her home office in the Adelaide Hills. When she moved into the house the front garden, on a bank that sloped down from the road, was tired and full of weeds, yet Kerrie saw an opportunity to create a beautiful feng shui garden.

"By carefully choosing my materials, featuring some Asian garden statues and using feng shui in my design, I knew I could create something with positive energy that would create a good impression," she says. "I wanted to set up an environment that would be totally supportive to me, both as a family space and a work space.

The first priority was to stabilise the sloping bank with rocks imported from a local quarry. From there Kerrie created a terraced garden with steps leading from a flat landing at street level down to her front door.

With an Asian 'peace garden' in mind, she chose some Japanese maples, star jasmine and mondo grass for groundcover, gorgeous lyriopes to line the steps and machelia and Japanese box for hedges. Many of these plants provide beautiful autumn colour, which was another priority in the design.

Kerrie spent a great deal of time sourcing authentic Asian garden statues, artifacts and objects of art to complement the garden design. She found a tall Chinese lantern that she thought perfect for a letterbox; clay jars and pots for water features; hand-carved Chinese warriors, Buddhas and peace symbols.

"I didn't know exactly what I wanted in terms of objects in the garden, but I felt confident they would speak to me when I saw them," says Kerrie. The unusual front gates are a perfect example. Though Kerrie wanted the entrance to make an impression, until she saw the authentic Chinese doors she didn't know exactly what would work.

The process of designing her own feng shui garden landscape was different to doing the same work for a client, Kerrie reveals. "I didn't worry about having all the answers upfront," she says. "I just allowed it to evolve and take me on a journey."

And she is proud of the result. "It's all me," she says. "I love it to pieces; it serves me well in the way I wanted it to, and it just feeds my soul."

Kerrie, from Kerrie Griffin-Moore Garden Design

View Kerrie Griffin-Moore Garden Design's yellowpages.com.au listing

What was your first priority with this garden design?

My front garden slopes from the road down to the front door of the house, which is also my office. The first priority therefore was to stabilise and retain the bank with rocks, which according to feng shui philosophy represent great support. Once the rocks were in place I could then create the terraced feng shui garden with steps.

Was seasonal colour one of your plans for this garden?

We live in the Adelaide Hills where we experience the significant colour changes of autumn, so I chose plants that had some beautiful seasonal colour. Foliage colour is always very important in the gardens I design, as a way of ensuring interest all year round.

Tell us about the planting scheme.

Every plant is exotic, either from Asia or often seen in Asian gardens. I chose the plants very carefully, as I wanted some vertical aspects and lots of horizontal lines to create contrast and interest. I wanted a limited selection of plants, but lots of visual interest to complement the Asian garden sculptures and statues.

What was the most challenging aspect of the landscape design?

Probably just giving it the time it needed to evolve, and allowing each element to reveal itself as I searched for the right things to serve each purpose. I had a general idea for the garden, but the strength of the final design is that everything works together the way I wanted.

What was different about doing your own feng shui garden, as opposed to designing for a client?

The main difference was not having all the answers upfront, and allowing the design to evolve. When you design for a client you need to have more definite plans in place right from the outset, but in this one I put a lot of faith and trust in the process, and allowed myself to be taken on a journey.

Why did you need this landscaping job done?

We purchased this house, which I also intended to use as a home office for my garden design business. The existing garden was tired, weedy, unkempt, full of rubbish and unloved. I especially wanted the front garden to be landscaped.

What were your intentions for the garden design?

I wanted a garden entrance that suited the house, was aesthetically pleasing and that made a statement about my business. I wanted the garden to have a feng shui rapport with the house, and thus create positive energy. It was important to set up an environment that was totally supportive to me, both as a family space and a work space.

How did you want it to look?

I wanted the garden to have an Asian feel. The idea was to create a terraced garden, with steps leading from a flat landing down through the middle of the garden to the front door. I wanted an entrance that created an impact for people arriving, and a number of Asian garden statues, ornaments and design elements to provide interest and serenity in the garden.

How did you select the Asian artworks for the garden?

I wanted there to be some beautiful, hand-made objects made out of earthy materials in the garden. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted, so I took my time looking for the right things, and when I found them I just knew they were right. That includes the front gate, the lantern letterbox and the Chinese warriors.

What makes you most proud about this project?

The biggest joy it gives me is that when I'm working at my desk looking out at the garden, I can see that it's all me. It's beautiful, and I love it to pieces. It serves me well in the way that I wanted it to, it's interesting in a number of ways, and it feeds my soul.

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