Sensory garden

thumb|Entrance to a sensory garden in [[Bremen. The 'Blind People's Garden' (Blindengarten) in Knoops Park is designed to allow people with visual impairments to find their way around the garden and experience its features without assistance.]]

A sensory garden is a self-contained garden area that allows visitors to enjoy a wide variety of sensory experiences. Sensory gardens are designed to provide opportunities to stimulate the senses, both individually and in combination, in ways that users may not usually encounter.

Sensory gardens have a wide range of educational and recreational applications. As a form of horticultural therapy, they may act as therapeutic gardens to help in the care of people with dementia.

Sensory gardens can be designed in such a way as to be accessible and enjoyable for both disabled and non-disabled users. A sensory garden, for example, may contain features accessible to the disabled individual such as: scented and edible plants, sculptures and sculpted handrails, water features designed to make sound and play over the hands, textured touch-pads, magnifying-glass screens, and braille and audio induction loop descriptions. Depending on the user group, other provisions may integrate sound and music more centrally to combine the play needs of younger users with their sensory needs.

Many sensory gardens devote themselves to providing experience for multiple senses; those specialising in scent are sometimes called scented gardens, those specialising in music/sound are sound gardens where the equipment doubles up to provide an enhanced opportunity for strategic developmental, learning and educational outcomes.

Sensory gardens usually have an enhanced infrastructure to permit wheelchair access and meet other accessibility concerns; the design and layout provides a stimulating journey through the senses, heightening awareness, and bringing positive learning experiences.

Design

Sensory garden design is generally based around the five Aristotelian senses, but it can also include other senses such as proprioception and balance. In addition to plants, non-living elements, such as water features and sculptures, may be incorporated.

Sight

Sight components in a sensory garden include traditional garden elements like colourful plants and flowers, which are sometimes clustered together to assist people with vision impairments. They have a diverse variety of colours, shape, size, and texture. Bright colours from flowers can activate the colour centre of the brain. Colourful and native plant species can be used to attract birds, butterflies, and insects to the garden, which can add additional sight variety. Adding ornamental grasses creates a dramatic effect to the space. Sometimes, water features like ponds and fountains allow for luring in wildlife like birds, allowing visitors to bird watch.

Taste

Vegetables or fruits in the garden space contribute to the inclusion of taste in a sensory garden. Plants like tomatoes, blueberries if there is a correct soil acidity, raspberries, carrots, herbs and some edible flowers can be installed. The engaging aspects of a sensory garden will stimulate and enhance memory, problem solving, and encourage outdoor activities. This, in turn, will alleviate anxiety, psychiatric disorders, and bad moods. In designs, access points are included for those with disabilities such as people who require wheelchairs to move, are blind, or are hard of hearing.

Sensory dementia gardens

Sensory gardens can be designed specifically for people with dementia, Other potential benefits include a calming and relaxing place providing an easy and safe way to exercise with feelings of independence.

Gallery

File:The Sensory Garden at St Christopher's School - geograph.org.uk - 943693.jpg|This sensory garden was designed for children with special needs at St Christopher's School in Westbury Park, Bristol, England.

File:170904 Blindengarten Bad Homburg 3.jpg|The Blindengarten in the Bad Homburg Spa Park (Kurpark) in Germany is a "smell and touch" garden comprising eight thematically planted raised beds (culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, roses, grasses, etc.) arranged around a central fountain that can provide acoustic orientation for blind and visually-impaired people.

File:Welt der Sinne.jpg|An experiential feature in the "World of the Senses" (Welt der Sinne). The design of this extensive sensory garden and house in Bremervörde, Germany, was inspired by the ideas of Hugo Kükelhaus (1900–1984) regarding "fields of experience for the development of the senses" and is intended for use by everyone, regardless of disabilities.

File:JBRJ Jardim Sensorial 02.jpg|This sensory garden inside the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Brazil, is designed to sharpen the senses of touch and smell, and sometimes taste. Visitors with special needs, including the blind and visually impaired, are welcomed by a team of counselors (some of whom are themselves visually disabled). Blindfolded guided tours are also a feature.

File:BCA Sensory Garden.jpg | Musical pipes can be played by visitors in the sensory garden at the Building and Construction Authority Gallery, Singapore, which showcases the broad accessibility principles of Universal Design.

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