Until now, you may have gone through life without giving much thought to where your houseplants are positioned, but that ends now. According to Feng Shui, the placement of our greenery plays a pretty big role in the overall harmony of our home, and the bamboo plant is no exception.
The ancient Chinese practice is most commonly associated with furniture placement, but certain Feng Shui plants are also thought to maximize the positive energy in your home, depending on where they're placed. As a plant associated with luck and prosperity, bamboo holds huge significance, so you might want to think twice before setting it down on any old surface that you see fit.
"Inside the house, bamboo is regarded as ‘lucky’ in Chinese culture because of its flexibility and fast, upward growth," explains Feng Shui consultant Suzanne Roynon. "Around the time of Chinese New Year, especially, you’ll find bamboo stalks grown into a corkscrew shape, which are regarded as an auspicious gift for the celebration."
Whether you have a lucky bamboo with twisted stalks as Suzanne describes or a bushier bamboo palm that fills a corner of your home with its verdant fronds, you'll want to take heed of the dos and don'ts of bamboo plant placement. Even if you're not an avid follower of this ancient art, there's surely no harm in following a few simple rules in the name of promoting prosperity, whether you're a skeptic or not.
Where to Place a Bamboo Plant
To understand where to place a bamboo plant to harness good fortune, it helps to understand some basic Feng Shui principles. The entire philosophy centers around improving the flow of energy, or chi, inside the home. Feng Shui also draws on five natural elements to help enhance that energy: earth, water, fire, metal, and wood.
Unsurprisingly, houseplants are strongly associated with this latter element, representing growth and vitality. This means they help to balance fire and water elements found elsewhere in the home, something to take into account when deciding where to place your houseplant. With that in mind, here are three areas to consider when it comes to bamboo Feng Shui placement.
Kitchen
Our kitchens are busy, bustling areas. They naturally have strong fire energy from cooking and high heat, as well as water energy from the sink and the presence of liquids. This means a houseplant, representing the wood element, can balance these energies, resulting in a more harmonious space.
"Anywhere your property requires a Fire remedy is perfect for a bamboo plant," explains Feng Shui expert and interiors therapist Suzanne Roynon. The kitchen is also a place for nourishment, so introducing this lucky plant into your space will help promote wellness and vitality.
Home office
Home office Feng Shui is all about cultivating your career. This is a space that represents prosperity, so the intentional positioning of a bamboo plant will certainly work in your favor.
This is especially true if your office space is in the southeast area of your home, an idea supported by the Feng Shui map (also known as the Bagua). This pillar of the practice divides the home into nine areas, each representing a different aspect of life associated with specific compass directions. "The southeast area of your home, the wealth and abundance gua, is a great place for the bamboo plant to encourage further growth and abundance, particularly if this gua falls in areas like your living room or home office," explains Laili Gonzalez, Feng Shui consultant and founder of The Meazured Life.
Living room
Our living rooms are central, convivial areas, so they typically make a suitable place for a bamboo plant since it can help foster a more positive atmosphere. After all, living room Feng Shui is all about promoting relaxation and social interaction.
"Plants are often recommended to bring up the energy of a space, particularly in Western schools of Feng Shui," Laili confirms, but she does have some words of warning, too. "Wood energy is potent and since homes have unique energetic patterns, we can inadvertently be creating more stagnation instead of flow."
This is why it's important to consult the Bagua map. As Laili lays out, the south gua, our fame and reputation gua, and also a fire element gua, is often a good place for lucky bamboo. "This is because the wood energy of the plant feeds that fire energy," she says.
FAQs
Where Should You Avoid Placing a Bamboo Plant?
Feng Shui can be difficult to navigate, and not all rooms will be suitable for a bamboo plant. Suzanne says she always discourages any form of plant in the bedroom as they compete with sleepers for oxygen. "We want to support the yin energy of this space, whereas bamboo and other plants can represent growth and are more yang in their energy," adds Laili.
Each year, the Chinese zodiac is also influenced by one of the five elements, and these help to dictate the placement of certain plants, too. "Avoid putting a bamboo plant (or any other plant) in the Northeast of a home during 2025," warns Suzanne. "The energy in this compass area of a home is particularly challenging this year and it can be detrimental to plants." These Feng Shui houseplant mistakes might sound trivial, but when good fortune and prosperity are at stake, it's not a risk worth taking.
What Direction Should Lucky Bamboo Face?
According to Feng Shui consultants, the majority of homes will benefit from a lucky bamboo placed in the Southeast corner of a home. "This represents wealth, abundance, and blessings," says Suzanne. "Position it so it can be supported by a wall or piece of furniture. You could also place bamboo in the West, representing opportunities and new beginnings."
Navigating Feng Shui rules might seem like a minefield at first, but with the right care and attention you can reap excellent rewards. Follow the advice above to help you find the perfect spot for your bamboo plant and you'll be on your way to a more prosperous 2025.
