Create a Sensory Garden in Your Yard

There are many ways to create a special garden space that is soothing and stimulating for everyone, including those with sensory sensitivities. Start Bright co-owner Nicole and administrative assistant Becka share their ideas on starting your own sensory garden, whether it's your entire yard or a small area of it. Read on and do what is manageable for you and your family!

Ideally, a sensory garden invites and involves the participation of all five senses - sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Thus, we have listed our ideas below by sense. Note, of course, that many plants and other garden elements enrich and entice multiple senses, such as sunflowers, which are both visually and tactilely pleasing.

All of the plants listed here do well in metro Detroit, which lies in zone 6a in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone classification system.

Overall Design Considerations

The sensory garden is intended as a therapeutic, healing space. It should be quiet, with minimal distractions. If the area is not enclosed, consider adding a fence or shrubbery to create a sense of separation from the rest of the yard. Circular shapes and curved paths create a comfortable flow and ease of use for those with spatial challenges. You may include sitting, standing, and climbing areas with different textures to see and touch. For example, you could make a circle of rough-textured tree stumps for seating or footpaths made of sand, flagstone, woodchips, or smooth, flat steppingstones. You can also create child-size places such as a bean pole trellis, a vine-covered tunnel, or a miniature sand garden.

Sight

Generally, incorporate color selectively, without being too overstimulating to the eye. This is personal preference, so include feedback from your kids and family members. Visually appealing flowers, particularly for those with Autism, include sunflowers (centers for touch), sweet peas (+ scent), coneflowers, and peonies. Milkweed, bee balm, and phlox draw butterflies. Cosmos and sunflowers attract ladybugs. Keep in mind that color comes not only from plants, but also inanimate elements such as stones, gravel, flags, and signage.

Sound

Plant tufts of grasses that make interesting sounds, like Pampas grass and Pearl grass. Bamboo and large-leafed plants can sound interesting when wind blows through them. Hang a set of wind chimes made from metal or bamboo. Or you and your child could make a windchime from everyday items such as miniature terra cotta pots, wooden beads, or shells. Overall, keep both the level and number of noises simple, low, and melodic, i.e., nothing that clangs or screeches, and not more than a few complementary noise-making elements.

Smell

Keep scent intensity low and subtle. A lilac bush features lovely flowers with a delicate, calming scent, plus you can make flower necklaces! Honeysuckle, hyacinth, and jasmine are other flowers whose scents are pleasing to the nose. Lavender is a timeless favorite - in addition to making your garden smell nice and attracting bumblebees, its blooms can be dried and made into tea or put in sachets. Mint leaves are invigorating to the nose and the leaves can be used to flavor teas and salads. Be sure to plant mint in a container if you don't want it to spread. Lemon balm has an uplifting scent and soft petals.

Touch

Incorporate a variety of textures, both calming and stimulating. Lamb's ear has a soft, velvety touch that many people enjoy. Bark, prickly seed pods, springy mosses, and smooth and textured stones all provide tactile interest. For a fun activity, you and your child can make a mosaic steppingstone - buy a kit from a craft supplies store. Place a variety of sculptures around the garden for touching.

Taste

Consider having an edible plants area, such as the aforementioned lavender and mint. This could also be as simple as a potted cherry tomato plant with basil. You could plot a small cedar bed with a few rows of peas, baby carrots, or radishes. Before consuming your garden bounty, be sure to thoroughly clean and wash.