Driftwood Garden

Driftwood Garden

Driftwood garden design is creative, artistic and something that can really set your garden apart. Many people employ the art of Feng Shui when placing driftwood garden installations. Feng Shui literally translates as "wind and water." These two elements were seen as the source of life energy in ancient Chinese beliefs. This life energy is called Chi, and it is the aim of Feng Shui to allow Chi to flow smoothly throughout your garden.

To place driftwood garden features and water features correctly according to Feng Shui, you need to know your Bagua. The Bagua is a placement map, telling you where you should place objects and how this placement will affect your life. The Bagua is divided into nine sections: career, knowledge, family, wealth, fame, relationships, children, helpful people and well-being. All of these nine sections can be physically located in your garden and by placing one of the five elements: earth, metal, water, wood or fire into your garden you can enjoy increased prosperity in your life.

On a more practical note, driftwood garden designs need to be installed securely, especially if you have children. If this is the case, you should make sure that your driftwood garden sculpture is placed into the ground securely. This can be done by attaching a metal pole to the base of the driftwood and cementing this pole into the ground. Driftwood is going to naturally decompose, so it is a good idea to coat the base of the driftwood in a clear preservative. This will slow down the rate of deterioration. If you are placing the driftwood garden feature on stone or metal, you will not need to coat the base of the piece.

Driftwood is worn away by water and wind erosion. This is why no two pieces of driftwood are the same. So if you have driftwood garden designs that require two pieces of the exact same shape, you may have difficulty finding them. Many people like to use driftwood in aquatic features in their garden. If you are going to do this, you need to know how to prepare the driftwood so that you do not damage any fish you may have in a pond. Driftwood will contain tannins. Tannins are used as a defense against fungi and bacteria. When you place driftwood directly into water, it will turn the water tea-colored and can harm the fish. So before you place the driftwood into the pond, you should boil the driftwood to remove the tannins or place it in a water-filled container to let the tannins naturally dissipate. This is going to keep the driftwood from interfering with the pH levels that are vital to aquatic health.