Sensory Gardens
The who, how & why.
Sensory Gardens.
Time and again, scientific evidence has shown that even small amounts of contact with nature contributes to, and improves, the mental and physical wellbeing of individuals. This is true not only for those suffering from specific medical conditions, but also for everyone in society, from children to the elderly.
Although the exact mechanism by which the natural environment stimulates these good outcomes is still unclear, but it is thought that enhanced immune function is the likely cause. Nevertheless, this research demonstrates a clear pathway to improved health outcomes through access to interaction with nature.
In addition to this, spending time in the garden helps to boost the body’s vitamin D levels, lifting your mood. The meditation, relaxation and the invigorating opportunities gardens offer can also assist with stress reduction. It can be argued that, for good mental health, all people need the opportunity to interact regularly with nature
The World Health Organisation (WHO, 1946) stated, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.” If we take this as our definition of good health, then regular interaction with nature in the form of a garden is one of our best ways of achieving it, mentally and physically. There are many different types of therapeutic gardens but sensory gardens can be particularly beneficial to the whole community.
So what exactly is a sensory garden?
Example: The 5 Senses Garden.
In 2017, Therapeutic Gardens collaborated with Inner West Neighbour Aid (IWNA) to develop an exciting new community resource, the 5 Senses Therapeutic Garden. Each of the built and plant elements were considered carefully to maximise accessibility, sensory experience, health and purpose to ensure this garden is a benchmark for public gardens and greenspaces throughout Australia.
What is a Sensory Garden?
A sensory garden is a garden where all components are carefully designed to provide maximum and appropriate sensory stimulation. The aim of these gardens is to heighten our awareness of our interaction with nature through our senses. This definition of a sensory garden encompasses awareness of all aspects of the garden, both vegetative and hardscape elements. The hardscape elements are as important as the vegetative elements because they become an integral part of the overall experience. For example, paths, walls, seating and signage all allow access, inclusivity and interactivity within the garden.
Sensory gardens should be designed with a careful attention to detail, considering each of the five traditional senses, as well as the less well-recognised senses that may be impaired with a number of medical conditions. The five traditional senses are:
Sight
Sound
Touch
Taste
Smell.
Each of these senses can be stimulated and the sensory experience heightened by a sensory garden, but for some individuals and groups with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or sensory integration dysfunction (SID), sensory garden designers should be especially cognisant of stimulating the vestibular and proprioceptive systems.
Who benefits from a Sensory Garden?
Sensory gardens can be of benefit to everyone and can be a wonderful resource for the whole community. There are times when we could all use the stress relief or the heightened awareness and stimulation of the senses that sensory gardens offer. However, there are specific individuals and groups who can especially benefit from sensory gardens. These include:
Dementia sufferers
Those on the autism spectrum (ASD)
Individuals with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Individuals with sensory processing disorder (SPD)
Visually impaired individuals
Individuals with brain injuries.
Each of these groups have specific needs and goals that can be catered to with regular use of a sensory garden and can gain great physical and mental health outcomes as a result.
Educational Opportunities
Sensory gardens are an excellent tool for both therapeutic and educational purposes. The educational advantages are not only apparent for children, but extend to the whole community. There are an enormous variety of ways that the experience can be educational, for example, by including a bush tucker garden, adults and children alike can learn about our native flora and fauna.
For children, gardening can also assist their learning in many other ways too, such as by teaching patience and persistence. According to Titman (1994), children describe their ideal school as a place of:
Doing (physical activities)
Thinking (intellectual stimulation)
Feeling (taking care of a place, ownership)
Being (quiet in noise).
A sensory garden is therefore a perfect learning environment for children and should form a crucial part of their education.
Sensory Garden Design
In designing and creating sensory gardens, the greater your attention to detail, the better your results will be. Giving careful consideration to the layout, as well as the vegetative and hardscape elements before you begin will help you to achieve a space that best meets the needs of your users.
Below are a few tips and things to consider when designing and implementing your sensory garden.
Sensory gardens are designed to be interactive spaces so select plants that can withstand regular handling and people breaking off leaves to smell and taste them. Choose hardy plants wherever possible.
Well-chosen native plants are often a good choice for your garden as they will normally suit your environment. Once established, natives are generally hardy and low maintenance.
Make sure that you provide spaces in your garden to shelter users from rain, sun and wind.
Ensure that all the hardscape inclusions in your garden are fit for purpose and in good working order. For example: musical pipes are not too difficult to produce sound from and water features are not unreliable or suffer from technical difficulties.
Designing a Sensory Garden.
The goal of a general sensory garden is to enliven the sensory nerves through specific selection and careful arrangement of various garden elements. The idea is to create an immersive experience that appeals to one or more of the senses in a garden design that goes beyond the scope of an average garden experience. Sensory gardens should heighten the experience of interaction with nature and provide rich experiences that lead to the above benefits.
A sensory garden designed for general access and enjoyment by the wider community should be accessible and inclusive. It should offer mental and physical stimulation to individuals and groups with medical conditions whose symptoms would normally deny them this stimulation.
These general access spaces should be safe and adhere to proper regulations and the appropriate Standards, such as AD 1428.31992, ‘Design for Access and Mobility’. They should ensure that children in particular will be safe.
Sensory gardens are a place to actively engage the senses by interacting with nature. Where possible, there should be provision for people to engage their senses more deeply by actively working the soil and gardening. As stated by Tyson in her 1998 book, The Healing Landscape, we gain many health benefits just by simply gardening but we can garden intentionally to create a richer experience, both when we work in our garden, and when we just sit back, relax and appreciate it.
Purposeful Sensory Gardens.
Dementia Gardens.
Research has found daily gardening is the single biggest risk-reduction activity that the participants could take against dementia. This study found that the risk of Alzheimer’s was reduced by up to 47%.
If sensory awareness is indeed a key feature of this crucial health benefit, then it stands to reason that the invigorating and stimulating interaction with nature of these spaces helps achieve these spectacular results.
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Children with ASD.
All children can benefit from the highly interactive and heightened sensory experience of exploring and playing in sensory gardens.
Children with autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorders also have highly specialised needs that can be uniquely met and managed through the opportunities offered by sensory gardens
Allergy Sufferers
For allergy sufferers, a sensory garden can be a dangerous and scary place!
Our passion is designing sensory gardens for specific needs so everyone can enjoy the therapeutic benefits a sensory garden provides.
This includes allergy friendly plants, creative and highly interactive hardscapes along with innovative design.
