How to create a garden for the senses
Most gardens offer visual appeal – and with good reason, nature is truly beautiful in its shape, size and colour – but a garden that caters to all five senses can elevate your patch of greenery to a sensory delight. A sensory garden is one that is designed to engage as many of our senses as possible, making it a great space to reconnect with nature and simply relax and reflect. Research has also found that sensory gardens can have therapeutic benefits to people with disability such as visual impairment or dementia. Here’s some of our suggestions on how you can transform your garden to one that caters to the sense of taste, smell, touch, and sound – we’re assuming you’ve got the sight one down pat!
Sound
The chirping of birds, the dinging of wind chimes, the crunch of gravel under foot and the rustle of leaves all help create a soothing atmosphere. Here’s some suggestions:
- Add a birdbath or bird-attracting plants to the garden. A flock of chirping birds in the garden will lift anyone’s mood.
- Consider a water fountain or feature – many people find the sound of running water soothing and relaxing.
- Choose textured paths, especially if you friends or family who have a vision impairment. It helps people recognise they are in the garden.
Touch
The garden is the perfect place to incorporate great textures to touch and feel.
- Vary the textures of the plants in your gardens. Choose hardy varieties that can cope with. handling and place delicate flowers in hard-to-reach places.
- Include different types of surfaces along your walkways.
- Provide sunny and shaded areas to sit to offer a temperature contrast.
- Use garden beds (with edges to sit on) to bring touchable plants within reach.
Smell
All plants have their own scent and this can be used to influence moods as you’re wandering through your garden. Aim to create different pockets of scents throughout your garden otherwise all the different smells can be confusing and overwhelming.
- An area of lilacs, roses, or lily-of-the-valley can be a relaxing place to sit and think.
- Herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and lemon verbena energise and invigorate you.
- A stroll through your culinary herb section can whet the appetite.
- Plant aromatic creepers or herbs near path edges or seats, so when you walk on them they release a beautiful aroma.
Taste
Planting fruits, veggies, and herbs are perfect for stimulating the sense of taste – anybody will attest that home-grown versions are so much tastier than store-bought counterparts.
- Start your own herb garden to use in your cooking.
- Grow a vegetable garden and go for some bright-coloured varieties such as tomatoes to make your garden stand out.
Related links:
10 of the most naturally colourful places in the world
How to use colour in your garden to influence your mood
10 creative garden container ideas you’ll love