An outdoor sensory garden is a special type of garden that combines beautiful flowers, scented plants, soothing sounds, and captivating visuals to thrill and stimulate the five sense organs. A sensory garden provides a stimulating calmness and captivating aesthetic which can relax the mind and body while also drawing emotions.
The perfect sensory garden must incorporate elements that capture all five sense organs. If you wish to create a sensory garden, these ideas will guide you through the process and make the creation process an easy and fun experience.
Plant Scented Flowers
Flowers are the focal point of a garden, so you want to begin by planting scented flowers. If you have a large garden, you can go for the Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura tree) which is known for its delightful candyfloss autumn scent.
For smaller gardens, you can choose from a variety of scented plants such as pineapple sage, apple mint, mock orange, and curry plants.
Get The Right Combination Of Plants
Plants come in different sizes, shapes, and textures, the idea is to achieve a combination that provides balance and beauty. For example, tall flowers are better combined with low mounds of ornamental grass.
When choosing plants for your sensory garden, don’t go for plants that are too similar. Instead, choose flowers that are complementary in size and shape to achieve an aesthetic balance.
Deploy The Soothing Sound And Sight Of Water
The sound of water running down a rock or flowing through a channel creates a soothing sight and sound that will increase the beauty of your garden and provide a perfect spot for some quiet time.
You don’t have to go over the top and pay top dollar for a landscaper to create you a waterfall. A simple garden pond with a water blade or rill will get the job done.
Use Ornamental Grasses For Landscaping Outdoor Sensory Garden
Beautiful, well-designed sheets of grass will bring color, tenderness, and natural touch to your garden. You should choose a part of the garden to plant the grass to achieve a delightful spread of bright foliage, plumed flowers, and interesting seed heads.
Choose Plants With Different Benefits
When their scents are inhaled, different plants have different impacts and benefits on the mind and body. A sensory garden idea is to choose a collection of plants that will improve your state of mind and body when your nostrils draw in on them.
Rosemary flower for example, eases stress and aids in maintaining focus. Lavender induces sleep and can aid depression. Thus, you can use them to add some instrumental value to your sensory garden.
Design The Layout For An Immersive Experience
You should design your sensory garden in a way that features separate parts that stimulate distinct senses at different times.
You can demarcate between the scented plants and colorful flowers to provide unique and separate experiences. You can also create a multi-sensory mix where multiple senses are simultaneously stimulated.
Consider The Seasons To Achieve The Best Sensory experience
Several fragrant plants have seasons where their scents are stronger. Some scents are stronger in winter while others are stronger in autumn. Hence, you should consider the season when growing a sensory garden.
Create A Visually Captivating Outdoor Sensory Garden
The eye is a powerful sense organ and when it locks in on a beautiful plant, it sends the signal to other parts of the body. When creating a sensory garden, you should pay attention to the visuals to create a strong eye appeal.
Furthermore, you should consider using gravel or decking to pave the garden path. You should also consider artistic elements such as paintings and sculptures in decorating the garden. In addition, you can also plant flowers and herbs that will attract birds and butterflies to bring a touch of life to the garden.
Make It Colorful
Colors have different interpretations and effects so, you want to choose a color combination that achieves aesthetics and balance. For example, it’s believed that red and orange colors are stimulating, while blue and green are soothing.
Use Lighting To Increase The Visual Appeal
Adding creative and modern lighting to your garden will increase the visuals and make it a beautiful sight at night. You can consider a fire pit, and also plants that light up at night such as night-scented stock.
Use Reflection To Enhance Visuals
A sensory garden has a collection of colorful plants and beautiful landscapes that creates a visually captivating surrounding. You can place decorative screens at strategic parts of the garden to create beautiful reflections of the environment.
Provide A Sitting Area
A sensory garden needs a comfortable area to sit and take in the beauty of the garden. The choice of seats offers you a chance to deploy creativity in increasing the aesthetic appeal of the garden.
You can choose from different rich and elegant wood in designing a chair that will fit perfectly into the natural environment. On the other hand, sofas with deep cushions would bring a modern and elegant addition to the garden.
Don’t Be Deterred By The Size Of Your Garden
You don’t need to have acres of space before creating a sensory garden. The general idea of a sensory garden is to create a garden that appeals to the senses and you can achieve this even with the small space in your backyard.
You can create a sensory garden in a small space and add the necessary touch to make it visually captivating as well as soothing to the mind and body. Combining colorful plants, scented herbs, and simple and personal decorations would create a small outdoor sensory garden that will offer a rich experience as a large garden.
Conclusion
Sensory gardens are special gardens that stimulate the senses and add beauty to the environment. All you need to create an outdoor sensory garden is a space, the right selection of plants, some decoration and some patience, and you will achieve a satisfying result.
