A Garden For All the Five Senses

May 31st, 2016

Most people just go for bright colours in a garden, and there is nothing wrong with that, but what about our other four senses?

Sensory gardens are popular with children, but there is no reason why they cannot be enjoyed by everyone, so why not give it a go? With a few simple additions, your garden can bring alive all the senses.

Sight

Most of us have this sense covered! Bright and pretty flowers are what most people aim for in their garden. There is no right or wrong here, just pick whatever colours and flowers you like the best, it is your garden after all! But here are some of our favourites if you are after some inspiration:

Sunflowers - A tall, bright and cheery flower. Likes full sun and can grow in any soil type.
Love In A Mist - Nice sky blue flowers, flowering for about 8 weeks. Likes full sun and well drained soil.
Pansy - A garden classic and can provide colour in summer and winter. Likes full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil.
Fuchsias - Providing pretty buds in lovely pinks and purples. Can tolerate shade and likes well drained soil.

Smell

Flowers naturally give off a scent to attract insects for pollination, but some are more pungent than others. Here are a few nice ones to try:

Chocolate Cosmos - Gives off a lovely chocolate/vanilla scent. Likes full sun, and most soil types.
Curry Plant - Surprisingly enough, this one smells like curry so may make you feel a bit hungry! Likes full sun and well drained soil.
Lavender - The lovely fresh scent and pretty colours of lavender. Likes full sun and sandy soil.
Sweet Peas - Simple to grow and they give off a nice sweet smell. Likes full sun but is happy in partial shade too, and can grow in any soil type.

Taste

There are so many plants you could grow which taste good, see our blogs on growing different berries and vegetables. Here we have chosen a few favourites which we think fit in nicely with a sensory garden:

Spearmint - Tasting and smelling good too. This is happy in sunny spots or partial shade and can be grown in most soil types.
Chives - A nice fresh addition to salads and cooking, and the pretty purple flowers look good too. Likes full sun and well drained soil.
Rosemary - Handy in the kitchen and smelling great in your garden too. Likes full sun and dry, sandy soil.
Blackberries - Taste good straight away once picked or can be preserved into jam to enjoy later in the year. They will grow in most places, but they do prefer sunny spots with well drained soil.

Touch

The texture of plants varies greatly. Some are prickly or thorny and so aren’t very nice to touch, but we recommend these ones to add some nice textures to the garden:

Lambs ears - This has soft, fluffy leaves and the texture is the reason for its most common name. Likes full sun and sandy soil.
Silver Sage – This has the soft texture of cotton wool. Likes sun or partial shade and sandy soil.
Mosses – These add a soft and spongy texture to the garden. They will grow in most places but like some sun and sandy soils. Some moss varieties produce nice flowers too.
Grasses – For example Feather Grass, which grows soft feathery seed heads in the summer. Likes full sun and well drained soil.

Sound

By filling your garden with a variety of nice bright flowers, you will attract more wildlife to you garden which in itself will help to bring your garden alive with sound. Choosing the right plants can also add sound to your sensory garden:

Bamboo – This whispers in the wind and provides a nice relaxing sound. Likes partial shade and will grow in most soil types.
Fountain Grass – Tall grasses which wave and rustle in the wind. Likes sun or partial shade and is happy in most soil types.
Greater Quaking Grass – Grows tall with little lantern shaped heads which rustle in the breeze. Likes sun or partial shade and will grow in most soil types.
Sweetcorn – Not only good to eat, they also fill your garden with a nice rustling sound in the wind too. Likes sunny spots with well drained soil.

We hope we have given you some inspiration to help bring your garden to life and please all the senses! If needed, give your borders a boost with our Border Black Screened Top Soil and start planting!