Envision walking into a landscape that awakens every sensation. This is the difference between typical outdoor settings and a sensory garden. Perhaps as you make your approach to your herb garden in such a garden, you’ll see a vibrant rhythm of colors dotting the landscape and hear the sound of neighboring birds. The aroma of rosemary will fill the air there, and you can feel the sharpness of the freshly cut sprigs in your hands—spices you’ll use to season your homemade food.
You may make a sensory garden that offers a break from a busy day and appreciate nature in this special manner every day. According to Meredith Gaines, Senior Plant Expert at Fast Growing Trees, “a sensory garden is one that envelops you in nature by energizing your five senses (smell, taste, touch, sight, and sound).
The greatest aspect is that anybody can develop this garden design, regardless of their skill level or the size or form of their land. But designing an outdoor area with the five senses in mind may be a big task. To find the best methods to create a sensory garden you’ll love for years to come, utilize this guide and advice from gardening professionals before you get started.
Think About Your Way of Life
First, consider your lifestyle while designing a sensory garden to suit your requirements. According to Marissa Angell, owner of Marissa Angell Landscape and a licensed landscape architect, “if you’d like to take on the day with more vigor, consider a sensory garden that incorporates hot colors (Kniphofia uvularia or crocosmia are excellent examples) to excite the eye and revitalize you.”
On the other hand, if your job involves a lot of stress, seek solace in scented flowers and plants. The influence of age is also significant since, according to Angell, “bright colors and contrasts within color palettes are easier to enjoy as we age.”
Plants that Appeal to a Variety of Senses
Next, arrange “your plants into the five sensory categories” to determine the worth of every plant you add, advises Gaines. One other benefit of sorting plants by category is that many will overlap, which maximizes the use of a short area in a sensory garden.
Angell concurs. “You can engage multiple senses even in a very small space with just a few plants.” For instance, Angell concentrated on pleasing the senses of sight, sound, touch, and aroma while creating a sensory garden in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She pointed out “contrasting forms and colors of scented rosemary (Rosmarinus sp.), soft feathery foliage of yarrow (Achillea millefolium), spiky and tawny feathergrass (Stipa tenuissima), and the warm fall color of threadleaf bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii).”
Consider Your Viewership
To guarantee the success of your sensory garden, complete this last step before moving on to the buying stage. Consider who will be using your garden. “Young people? Anyone whose perceptions might be damaged or whose movement is impaired? You personally? You may choose your species more carefully and manage your plants at a higher level if you consider who will be using your garden, according to Angell.
Angell suggests picking plants that appeal to different seasons so that you may use your chosen senses for as much of the year as possible, which will make the process easier. Include “tasty, edible plantings, as well as those that feel good to touch” if you have young children.”You can use both of these types of plants to teach the kids in your life about the plants we grow,” she continues. Finally, to engage those with impairments, arrange your plants at a wheelchair-accessible height or, for those who are blind or visually impaired, concentrate on aromatic or tactile plants.
Top Plants for a Garden with Senses
It’s great to include plants you like in your sensory garden design since the ultimate objective is to create an environment that uplifts your mood. However, establishing a strong base is necessary to create a visually appealing and useful sensory garden, and you may do it by following the advice provided by Angell and Gaines below.
Visual
Warm colors like reds, oranges, and yellows arouse the senses, whereas cool tones like blues and purples often soothe them. Your attention may be drawn in by introducing different colors and blending tones, tints, and shades of each hue. You may get your color from leaves or flowers, so playing around with the silhouettes of opposing plants can be a great way to use your senses.
As an illustration:
Echinacea pallida, tall, airy coneflowers with a delicate, mounded shape resembling prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).
Plants having softer, rounder forms combined with spiky ones, such as rattlesnake master (Eryngium spp.) or sea holly (Echinops spp.
Sounds
By selecting plants like grass that ruffle in the wind or investigating plant types that benefit your local songbirds, you may take into account the wildlife in your area. Look for plant species that provide food for the songbirds in your area, or go for wind-rustling decorative grasses.
Feel
Add fuzzy, soft plants to your sensory garden for the sense of touch. Think about plants that have different textures, such fluffy seed heads, airy growth tendencies, and velvety leaves and stems.
As an illustration:
Stachys byzantina, or lamb’s ears, has big, fluffy leaves.
The form of the dusty miller (Jacobea maritima) is bouncy and velvety.
Even while adding somewhat rough textures might be intriguing, be careful not to include anything that could be harmful. “Sensory gardens are supposed to be interactive, so stay away from anything that might have thorns or other things that aren’t pleasant to touch,” Gaines advises.
Taste and Smell
For flavor and scent, edible plants and herbs are the obvious options. Herbs such as lavender and thyme, for instance, create fragrant and attractive garden plants. Additionally, they may stimulate taste receptors. Alternatively, include some easily snackable cucamelons or alpine strawberries in your yard.
Tips for Sensational Garden Design
Plants should be matched to your growth environment.
You don’t want to be worrying about taking care of plants that are having trouble since a sensory garden is supposed to be a fun, tranquil place. Avoid choosing plants that aren’t compatible with the environmental conditions of your area, such as soil type, moisture content, and sun exposure, according to Angell. It’s critical to choose plants that will flourish in your area. In the end, you may anticipate more from the innate sensory properties of the plants the healthier they are, according to Angell.
- Give it some time.
Gaines suggests enjoying the planning process as opposed to racing to the finish. “There is no timeline or set format to your garden; add and take away as you please to truly make the space your own and one of a kind,” she states. Above all, before committing to any species, it’s important to learn about your plants and their requirements. The most effective sensory garden will come from selecting plants depending on what your location can support and what you can reasonably manage. - Accept the seasonal variations.
According to Gaines, plants are quite seasonal and change in appearance and behavior throughout the year. She notes that rather than seeing this as an issue, it is a chance to “enjoy the new senses replacing the older ones as the seasons change.” With a camellia that provides brilliant visual attraction in the winter with its blossoms rather of only visual interest in the summer months, you can even double up on senses to enjoy them year-round “, explains Gaines.
Additionally, explore with various plant species and have an open mind as you design your sensory garden. Before completing your design, you could go through a trial-and-error phase when you adjust your layout over the course of many seasons. Additionally, you may add and remove in stages by beginning with a base and adding plants (or sensory approaches) in layers according to any gaps you see. As she points out, “by definition, a sensory garden must be experienced before any conclusions can be made.” Angell concurs.