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School Sensory Garden

Gal2Gal2 Posts: 36
in Problem solving
Hi,

I am currently making adjustments to our school garden and I would like to bring more organisation to it. It is a limited space with 3 sections (each section is in the below photos).

So far, I am aiming to reach the 5 senses with the following additions:

Taste: Herbs such as chives, sage, mint
Sight: Violas, pansies, sunflowers, colourful paint
Touch: Apple tree leaves
Smell: Herbs, roses
Sound: chimes

Does anyone have any suggestions for how we can maximize the potential of our sensory garden? 

Thanks!

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Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I would add Stachys byzantina (lambs ears) for the children to feel.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    You could definitely add Stachys  Bizantina(lambs Ears ) but not a tree, far too close to the buildings in the space you’ve got there. 
    Quaking grass is nice for touch. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Also lavender and rosemary for smell if you have the right conditions.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    There are some species of poppy that hold their seeds in the head when they dry out (as opposed to the ones that have holes in and allow the seeds to escape) these make a great rattly sound when shaken.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949
    Rosemary is brilliant as an ever green to add smell and texture.
  • Jules41Jules41 Posts: 178
    I don't know if this link would be helpful to you? 
    https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/resources/info-sheet/plants-for-a-sensory-garden
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I wouldn't use Phlomis fruticosa. When I used to cut mine back, the little hairs they release would make me wheeze like crazy. I'm not asthmatic. I got rid of it.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited August 2018
    Great project😊

    Lavender, rosemary and lambs ears all seconded.

    Alchemilla Mollis is nice for the billowy flower heads (touch) and also for the soft, ever so slightly furry leaves (touch) which hold beautiful jewels of beaded water after the rain  (sight) (science - surface tension). Also grows in poorer soils if you have that to contend with.

    Strawberries are always a popular option for taste.

    If you're choosing roses remember that some have very little scent. David Austin's "Roald Dahl" has a lovely perfume, is very healthy, doesn't get really big and has relatively few thorns. It's name makes it a good choice for children and the company make a donation to a childrens' charity for each plant sold. Mine flowers from May right through till the first frosts and 'performed' well even in it's first season. With appropriate purple planting (salvias / dark lavender) you can even introduce topics such as the colour wheel.



    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    fidgetbones said:
    I wouldn't use Phlomis fruticosa. When I used to cut mine back, the little hairs they release would make me wheeze like crazy. I'm not asthmatic. I got rid of it.
    I’ve just taken seeds from my Phlomis, vicious little ‘B’s. Very scratchy. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    A church near me has a sensory garden, for sound, there is a small pond with a solar powered fountain.  Could you make a pond in a pot?
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