In today’s day and age our senses are constantly being bombarded with stimulation – whether it is the incessant beeping of the next Face book update on your cell phone, the bright banner racing across your computer screen indicating a new e-mail awaits you at your in – box, the soft vibration of the new voicemail pleading for your attention or the smell of the meatloaf burning in the oven because you have been so distracted by the above – which all leaves a bad taste in your mouth. So while we become so aggravated with the information our senses are relating back to us at synapse speed throughout our busy workdays, why do we not take the moment to smell the proverbial rose? Or better yet – spend that moment in a sensory garden, where you can once again appreciate the delicate nature of our five natural senses.
Sensory Gardens seem to be the fall trend this season as we have received numerous calls inquiring of such and have recently proposed a small-scale sensory garden via sketch. Sensory Gardens and this style of a planned interactive landscape is at the heart and core of what our company, NEOhiogarden,com was founded on – the well being of our customer.
Sensory Gardens can get to the core of your well being – causing a garden participant to slow their thought process down and be in the moment. We all have different needs for being in the moment – one may just merely need to escape from the hectic pace at work before they hit a mental wall. Some may use it to help strengthen a sense that may have been affected adversely in some way – while others may use it as a place for healing from a tragedy, a place to become centered once again and feel the precious space that we hold within this garden and the garden of our lives.
I have a passion for these gardens, as it is amazing the experience that can be found within one and or the creation of one. It is not a complicated process and it can be performed in the smallest or largest of garden spaces. The garden does not have to incorporate all five senses but can be designed to showcase and tease out a particular sense such as an acoustic garden – Hearing or an edible garden – Taste. Most landscapes, on average, attract us visually and there is always a visual component to just about any sensory garden – though more thought can be used to bring out the best in a visual experience.
Once you have decided what type of sensory garden you would want to create, the toughest part is going to be figuring out what plants will work with the space and/or idea you have envisioned. Take the time to enjoy the process and the right plantings will call out to you. Here are a few examples:
- Sight – Perennial Hibiscus – Hydrangeas – Roses – Coreopsis – Coneflower – Ligularia – Black Eye Susan
- Smell – Lilac – Lavender – Honeysuckle – Yarrow – Asiatic Lilies – Sweet Woodruff – Herbs – Mints
- Taste – Blueberries – Gaultheria – Marigolds – Lavender – Rose Petals – Nasturtium – Sunflowers – Fruits – Serviceberry – Cornelian Cherry Dogwood – Ajuga
- Touch – Hydrangea – Giant Lambs Ear – Blue Fescue and other non-aggressive ornamental grasses, (as some ornamental grasses are sharp and can cut the skin – caution should be used when choosing ornamental grasses for touching), Strawflower – Moss – Goats Beard – Mimosa Tree
- Hearing – Quaking grass – Tall Grasses and Bamboo – Money Plant – Okra – Ornamental Trees – Water Feature – Wind Chimes – Wind Harp – Buzzing of Pollinators – or as we have just sketched into a recent sensory garden, native drums to be installed as a stationary piece in the garden
There are so many styles, shapes and ways to create a sensory garden I could not begin to explain just one. I can say that imagination is the key and be sure to make it meaningful. I have created a How to Garden Talk on this topic and it is amazing the directions you can go – I could not possibly list them all and I see it as a very personal experience.
The next time you step out side – close your eyes and listen to nature – Be in the moment and Feel Alive with it – that is a sensation you do not want to miss!!
