Sensory Gardens

Sensory Garden - Chicago Botanic Garden

Many gardens are developed for visual appeal and the other senses are overlooked.  Some gardens have plants deliberately incorporated with a particular favorite scent like lilacs or hyacinths.  However, sensory gardens are intentionally designed to either appeal to all five senses (taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch) or to intentionally narrow in on just one.

Sensory gardens are suitable for large or small spaces. These gardens entice visitors to engage in the area, to touch, hear, and smell, look, and taste.  They often are targeted at children, but people of all ages enjoy them.  Specific areas can be designed to stimulate one sense at a time or to immerse in all simultaneously.

Scent is one of the strongest human senses and can trigger memories of special events or people.  Some scents are naturally released (roses), some scents are released by the sun (rosemary, lavender), some by being crushed or brushed against (geranium, creeping thyme, anise hyssop), and some are more fragrant at night (angel’s trumpet, star jasmine).

Be careful not to overwhelm in the scent garden by placing strong fragrances too close together.  Scatter the scents, mix the bloom times, include subtle scents, and don’t forget the scents of freshly mown grass, new mulch, and even pine needles.

The sense of sight is another aspect to delve into with a sensory garden.  Red, orange, and yellow are warm colors that promote activity.  Blue, purple, and white are calming and tranquil. Balance the colors to avoid overstimulation.  In addition to plants, consider garden art, hardscapes, and the lighting.  Be sure to vary bloom times of plants, heights, and growth patterns like creeping, climbing, trailing, and upright.  Include different textures, leaf patterns, forms, and shadows.

Hearing is a sense that can occur without a lot of planning.  The wind blowing through grasses or leaves, water trickling along a path, or birds and insects who have been drawn to the plants all enhance a sensory garden.  There are specific plants that make wonderful additions, like the balloon flower that pops when the buds are squeezed.  Some plants like false indigo produce seed pods that rattle when shaken or are disturbed. Pipsqueak leaves do just that—squeak—when their leaves are rubbed together.

There are many plants that can be incorporated that are just fun to touch.  Fuzzy leafed lambs’ ear delights children with the similarity to real lambs. Wooly thyme has fine hairs on the leaves and a delightful tactile sensation. Mosses, rough bark, and feathery ferns all have different textures that encourage visitors to touch.

Taste involves more than just fruits and vegetables.  Some flowers (nasturtium, bee balm, borage, and pansy) are edible.  A whole host of herbs can come alongside the obvious fruits and vegetables.  Of critical importance is making sure that nothing toxic is planted in a sensory garden that will be visited by children or fragile populations.  Make sure that plants that may be tasted are clearly differentiated by placing them in a specific area.

In general, make the sensory garden comfortable and accessible.  Paths, occasional shelter from the sun, and a resting place will make visitors want to linger and enjoy the experience. Do not use pesticides or herbicides so that visitors can wander with no concern for chemical exposure. These gardens are a calm and safe way to delight our senses and learn about the environment.

Carol Shirk

Certified Master Gardener