A Beginner's Guide to a Seductive Sensory Garden
Here is a guide that will help you create a stimulating garden that ensnares the senses
Ketaki Godbole Randiwe
20 November 2020
Appealing to the senses with flowers, shrubs, herbs and other landscape features, a sensory garden is a garden environment designed with the purpose of stimulating the senses. This concept of a ‘sensory garden’ has been well used to create experiential and therapeutic gardens across the world. By creating such an environment in our home gardens, it is possible to enrich the quality and diversity of our own outdoor space. Read on to find out more…
What is a ‘sensory garden’?
While all gardens are ‘sensory’ to some extent, the integration and concentration of all sensory experiences is what makes the difference between a regular garden and a sensory garden. A sensory garden strives to maximise the impact that it has on its visitors.
While all gardens are ‘sensory’ to some extent, the integration and concentration of all sensory experiences is what makes the difference between a regular garden and a sensory garden. A sensory garden strives to maximise the impact that it has on its visitors.
How to plan the garden
Your garden can be either passive – inviting the user to be able to sit and relax, and enjoy the experience, or active – inviting the user to explore, touch or taste, and interact with certain plants, features or objects.
With simple elements, we can create garden spaces to which we can feel more connected. Tactile elements that encourage touch, such as water features to cool hands or feet on hot summer days, auditory ones such as the sound of the rustling of tree-leaves in the breeze, the soothing smells of roses and jasmines, and the crunchiness underfoot of gravel paths … elements like these, when combined, activate our senses.
Here are a few ideas and tips on creating your own sensory heaven.
Your garden can be either passive – inviting the user to be able to sit and relax, and enjoy the experience, or active – inviting the user to explore, touch or taste, and interact with certain plants, features or objects.
With simple elements, we can create garden spaces to which we can feel more connected. Tactile elements that encourage touch, such as water features to cool hands or feet on hot summer days, auditory ones such as the sound of the rustling of tree-leaves in the breeze, the soothing smells of roses and jasmines, and the crunchiness underfoot of gravel paths … elements like these, when combined, activate our senses.
Here are a few ideas and tips on creating your own sensory heaven.
Elements for sight
Hardscape: Create a path to and through your sensory garden, using stone, gravel or wood to add visual textures. Additionally, you can also use the garden hardscape to create visual interest by using unusual colours like red or blue.
Tip: Routes in the shape of the numeral 8, or acutely curved pathways that reveal what is beyond only at the last moment, create an added sense of discovery and orientation.
Softscape: Use plants with varying habits, such as those that creep, climb, trail, bush or stand upright. Incorporating plants with different blooming habits, flower, leaf, bark and stem colours provide visual appeal, as well.
Find a landscape designer to design your garden
Hardscape: Create a path to and through your sensory garden, using stone, gravel or wood to add visual textures. Additionally, you can also use the garden hardscape to create visual interest by using unusual colours like red or blue.
Tip: Routes in the shape of the numeral 8, or acutely curved pathways that reveal what is beyond only at the last moment, create an added sense of discovery and orientation.
Softscape: Use plants with varying habits, such as those that creep, climb, trail, bush or stand upright. Incorporating plants with different blooming habits, flower, leaf, bark and stem colours provide visual appeal, as well.
Find a landscape designer to design your garden
Elements for sound
Hardscape: You can plan different sounds that emanate from materials, while creating pathways or trails. The sounds made when walking on stone, wood, brick, pavers or gravel are very different from each other and create different experiences.
Tip: Incorporate hardscape elements, such as benches, wind chimes, water fountains, bird feeders and garden art into the sensory space for added effect.
Hardscape: You can plan different sounds that emanate from materials, while creating pathways or trails. The sounds made when walking on stone, wood, brick, pavers or gravel are very different from each other and create different experiences.
Tip: Incorporate hardscape elements, such as benches, wind chimes, water fountains, bird feeders and garden art into the sensory space for added effect.
Softscape: To stimulate the sense of hearing, choose plants that produce a sound when the wind passes through them, such as bamboo stems. Many seed pods, such as those of the copperpod or cassia trees, make interesting sounds as well, and the end-of-season leaves make a fun crunching sound underfoot. You can also include plants that encourage wildlife in the garden. The buzzing of a bee, the chirping of a cricket or the twitter of a sunbird all stimulate the sense of hearing.
Elements for touch
Hardscape: The materials and textures of walls, seats and special features such as sand pits can add to the tactile experience while walking through the garden. Running your hand over a stone wall, touching the sand, the feel of gravel under your bare feet are tactile experiences that help reconnect with nature.
Softscape: Textures such as the velvety leaves of the silver dust plant, the spiky thorns of the cactus or the tactile and architectural nature of aloe vera can provide a talking point and stimulate tactile abilities.
Tip: Plan for an area of grass (possibly under a tree), allowing the sensory experience of lying in the grass.
Hardscape: The materials and textures of walls, seats and special features such as sand pits can add to the tactile experience while walking through the garden. Running your hand over a stone wall, touching the sand, the feel of gravel under your bare feet are tactile experiences that help reconnect with nature.
Softscape: Textures such as the velvety leaves of the silver dust plant, the spiky thorns of the cactus or the tactile and architectural nature of aloe vera can provide a talking point and stimulate tactile abilities.
Tip: Plan for an area of grass (possibly under a tree), allowing the sensory experience of lying in the grass.
Elements for smell
Aromas easily find their place in our memory banks. Smells can be either relaxing or therapeutic, evoking a sense of calm (for example, lavender) or stimulating (jasmine). Highly aromatic plants, such as the sweet-smelling gardenia, herbs and spices provide ample olfactory stimulation.
Aromas easily find their place in our memory banks. Smells can be either relaxing or therapeutic, evoking a sense of calm (for example, lavender) or stimulating (jasmine). Highly aromatic plants, such as the sweet-smelling gardenia, herbs and spices provide ample olfactory stimulation.
Elements for taste
Edible fruits, herbs and spices planted in a sensory garden allow visitors an opportunity to experience nature’s bounty by exciting the taste buds. Vegetables are great for this, too.
Edible fruits, herbs and spices planted in a sensory garden allow visitors an opportunity to experience nature’s bounty by exciting the taste buds. Vegetables are great for this, too.
For small gardens on balconies and terraces
Using these elements, you can even convert smaller spaces such as balconies and terraces into tiny sensory gardens. Opting for a passive garden is best to get the most out of the limited space available. Pictured here, the seating area dominates the space, surrounded by potted plants.
Using these elements, you can even convert smaller spaces such as balconies and terraces into tiny sensory gardens. Opting for a passive garden is best to get the most out of the limited space available. Pictured here, the seating area dominates the space, surrounded by potted plants.
For courtyards
Similarly, courtyards are also great spaces to create heightened sensory experiences. If the space is too small, concentrate on utilising it completely for the composition of various elements, whereby you can still be a part of it visually, without being physically inside it.
Similarly, courtyards are also great spaces to create heightened sensory experiences. If the space is too small, concentrate on utilising it completely for the composition of various elements, whereby you can still be a part of it visually, without being physically inside it.
Read more:
This Is What’s Missing From Your Garden
How to Make Your Small Garden Look Bigger
Tell us:
If you enjoyed reading this story, like it, and tell us about it. What is your ideal garden experience? Write in Comments below.
This Is What’s Missing From Your Garden
How to Make Your Small Garden Look Bigger
Tell us:
If you enjoyed reading this story, like it, and tell us about it. What is your ideal garden experience? Write in Comments below.
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Hi Rima.
Thank you! Yes one can create both types in a sizeable balcony garden too. It all depends on the design layout. But passive types are more suitable for balconies because of the space crunch. Just surround yourself with different sensory elements and have a seating area in the centre, so that you can sit & relax, and touch, taste and smell at the same time!