Vastu Shastra tips: Don't keep these 7 plants and trees at the entrance of your home

Vastu Shastra, a traditional Indian architectural system, is often followed while setting up a home. It’s not only limited to walls, furniture, and windows, but also to plants, which are believed to influence the energy of space.

According to Vastu, here’s a list of 7 plants and trees you should avoid keeping near the entrance of your home, and why…

• Large Trees: Large trees, when planted in front of the main door, block natural flow of energy and curtail progress. Their obstructing presence stops new opportunities from knocking. During the daytime, they cast shadows that are considered inauspicious, according to Vastu. While a peepal tree is considered largely auspicious, it’s not meant for spaces right outside the main door because of its size.

• Cacti: Thorny plants such as cacti with needle-like leaves may be visually appealing and trendy, but according to Vastu, they are highly inauspicious. Their sharp spikes attract negative energy and may cause strife in relationships. These plants can cause restlessness, tension, stress and emotional upheaval. Hence, they are best avoided at the entrance.

• Bonsai Plants: These plants look artistic and carry their own charm. However, they represent stunted growth, for which they are not considered auspicious, according to Vastu. These plants are not allowed to grow fully and remain small in size. Hence, when brought to the house, they symbolise restricted progress, expansion, and well-being.

• Dead or Dried Plants: According to Vastu, having dead or dried plants at the entrance of the home is highly inauspicious. They presumably carry dead energy, which impacts the home environment. It’s neither considered good to hold on to the past. Hence, fresh flowers and live plants are considered the best replacements. They bring natural, happy energy and liven the atmosphere.

• Tamarind Trees and Cotton Plants: Tamarind (Imli) trees attract negative energy, according to Vastu. They create emotional havoc when placed at the entrance of the house. Similar is the case with cotton plants as they are associated with death rituals, and keeping them near your home can lead to incurring expenses and bring unpleasantness into the space.

• Milkweed Plants: Milkweed is yet another plant that’s considered toxic for its milk-like sap. According to Vastu, this brings strife, stress, and tension when kept near home. Scientifically, too, they are unsafe to keep, especially with kids and pets around, due to milkweed’s toxic nature.

• Fruit-Bearing Trees: Be it Vastu or practical reasons, fruit-bearing trees shouldn’t be planted close to the front door as they constantly shed fruits, leaves, and flowers, which creates a messy ground. Such disorder and chaos at the entrance is believed to be inauspicious, symbolises unrest and blocking progress.