My colleague says having a plant on my work desk is good for fung shui. If so, what plants should I get? Bo While there are benefits in placing plants on your desk, there are also pitfalls. Plants represent the wood element and, as per the Flying Stars school of fung shui, the wood element can work in your favour depending on the location they are placed. You will need a compass to identify where north and south lie before dividing your table into nine sections, namely the centre, the four cardinal sectors (such as north and east) and the four intercardinal sectors (such as southwest and northeast). Placing a plant in the south and east sectors will disturb the illness and accidents energy, respectively, making you more susceptible to both, while having one in the northwest will disrupt the positive earth energy and may result in financial problems. The aggression star is located in the north this year, so if you place any plants in this sector, you may find yourself arguing with your colleagues and working hard without much reward. A plant in the southeast will improve romantic prospects and relationships. Plants in the west will give you a greater cause for celebrations, be it personal events (marriage) or professional (promotion), as the positive fire energy and joyful events will be stimulated by the wood energy. Note that artificial plants are not substitutes for real plants. They do not have any living chi.