Picture yourself walking down a garden path; its gentle curves lead you on a journey of delightful sights, smells, tastes and sounds. You pass luscious fruits and bountiful vegetables. There are beautifully colored flowers of all shapes and sizes that look as if they are about to speak to you as they caress your fingertips. The trees along the path offer you shade with their umbrella of leaves from the afternoon sun. Pause to breath in the beauty of life. There are several large, prominent rocks and boulders in this garden, which make you, feel grounded to the earth and give you a sense of strength. You slow down and sit upon an inviting stone next to a waterfall. A butterfly flies by as if to say hello. Feeling the earth between your toes, you gaze into the sky and watch a bird’s flight of freedom. A gentle breeze sends perfumed scents to your nose as you listen to the harmonious sounds of the water falling into the pond upon the lily pads with the croaking frogs. Taking your hand, you touch the cool water and notice your reflection in the currents you make which radiate out across the water. You are at peace. There is no fast moving computer, TV satellite world news, no telephones, cars, appointments, must do's and must have's. There you are alone with the natural world – you are part of this natural world — nature — man connecting Earth and Sky. The peace you see reflected in the garden reflects the peace you feel on the inside in your being. Life is good. Breathe in and inhale this precious moment in time. The Breath of Nature, the flow of the Cosmic Breath, your Breathe is in alignment — you are breathing with the flow of Life and it is good.

In real estate the saying goes, "Location, Location, Location." Ideally we would all like to have waterfront property on a wooded hillside. But the great thing is that when you design your landscaping, you can create worlds within worlds on your property with places to sit and reflect and places to walk uninterrupted by technology. You can create magical, protective, prosperous spaces on your properties, decks, balconies and terraces, which will allow the external world of nature to nourish the internal world of yourself.

My first suggestion with your grounds is to take a walk around and clean up! Springtime is a good time to pick up broken branches from the winter and to get rid of any clutter that may be draining your energy, I have a client who has grown children in their teens yet still keeps a broken old slide and swing set on the property. This is an indication of the family not growing forward and not allowing new things into their lives. Your storage sheds can be a clutter center too, which have stuff in them that you haven’t used for years and block new things from coming into your life. Spring-cleaning makes a lot of sense! Rake the leaves, throw out broken flowerpots and clean out the clutter of the property.

The American Indians say that we borrow the land we live on and it is our duty to honor the balance of life on the earth that we live. Our properties are places we set our homes upon to live our lives, raise our children, play, relax and even farm. Property reflects the families or people who live in the home. What does the entrance to your property look like? Is it well lit and without cluttered toys or dead and unhealthy trees and shrubs? Is the pavement or stones on the driveway and path to your front door in good repair? Are they welcoming? Think about working with stone or slate walks that have a gentle curve in them rather than straight lines or 90-degree turns, which can feel sharp and cutting. If you already have a straight path, you can soften it up with ivy or floral plantings in season, which flow over the angles.

Trees are wonderful and can give us lots of positive energy, but, just as you would get a haircut, it is important that overgrown trees and scrubs are trimmed and do not block your main entrance. If you feel blocked in life and that your life in not going anywhere you may want to look to see if you have a large tree right in the line of your front door or hedges and scrubs grown up past the windows.

If you are having problems with being heard and noticed in life, make sure your house number is clearly marked (this also allows people to find you). Do you feel like opportunities are passing you by in life? Try placing some big rocks with trees and flowers on each side of the entranceway of your driveway with the intention that they will anchor your life and will not let opportunity pass you by.

You create your environment and the environment creates you. Where do you want your eye to go? Where do you want most of the focus of your life to go? Think in terms of activating these areas on your property by placing a sculpture or water feature as a focal point and then add plantings, windchimes, garden furniture or a bench.

No matter how large or small your exterior space may be, I invite you to create a space where you can feel at peace and be at one with nature. You are a natural being. Your health and peace of mind are influenced by the world you create — which adds up over the years and creates who you are.