"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."
Gertrude Jekyll
A sensory garden is a garden that has a collection of plants that are appealing to one or more of the five senses; sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. Sensory gardens are typically geared towards young children, but are enjoyed by people of all ages.
Plants come in all sorts of shapes, colors, sizes, with seemingly infinite fragrances and tastes. Here are a few that are kid-friendly.
Sight - The first sense impression of a garden is usually sight, and in this domain plants are an especially rich source of variation in size, shape, color, and visual texture. Plants in hot colors — reds, yellows, oranges — draw the eye and bring energy (and pollinators!) to a garden spot. Cool colors, on the other hand, tend to recede and calm, making them an ideal backdrop for a quiet seating area. Large plants inspire awe; small plants invite close examination. Consider too, the use of different color mulches, slates, pebbles or shells; avoid recycled colored glass mulches.
Chameleon plant, Houttuynia cordata, which also smells of lemon
Coral Bells, Heuchera cultivars
Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena; the flowers transform into large, egg-shaped pods with elongated “horns” that bring additional visual intrigue and sound. Unlike most annuals, you’ll want to skip deadheading the flowers, so they can form those wonderful seedpods.
Sunflowers, Helianthus annuus
Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’, Beta vulgaris, which also edible
Zinnia, Zinnia spp.
Taste - There are so many delicious plants that it’s difficult to choose just a few. Depending on the design of your garden space, it might be best to group all the “tasting” plants together to eliminate confusion about what is edible.
Calendula/Marigold, Calendula officinalis; add the petals to a salad.
Chives, Allium schoenoprasum
Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Sweet Basil, Ocimum basilicum
Vegetables, try carrots, radishes, lettuces, broad beans or peas
Wild/Alpine Strawberry, Fragaria spp., Fragaria vesca
Click here for more edible flowers.
Keep in mind:
Not all flowers are edible! Some are poisonous, including common garden flowers like datura and foxglove. Teach children to check with you or another knowledgeable adult before eating flowers.
Be mindful of possible allergic reactions. Those with seasonal allergies may want to avoid eating flowers.
Make sure that the flowers and nearby plants haven't been treated with pesticides.
Go slow when introducing children to edible flowers by offering them in small quantities, one type at a time.
In most cases, eat only the petals. Avoid eating the pistils and stamens, which are often bitter and may contain pollen that can trigger allergic reactions.
Tips:
Harvest flowers in the morning after the dew has dried.
If possible, eat the flowers soon after they're picked. They can be stored in the refrigerator for several days if you gently wrap them in a moist paper towel and place in a sealed bag or airtight container.
Harvest flowers regularly to encourage the plants to continue blooming.
Smell - The aromas and scents of flowers are wonderful to enjoy, but they have a purpose too. Plant scents attract insects to the flowers for pollination and some smelly leaves deter insects from eating them. Our minds are so tuned into smells that one whiff of a fragrance can call up memories from events long ago.
Basil, Ocimum basilicum; undertones that include licorice, lemon, lime, clove, and more, depending on the variety
Chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus; cut at the stems for an indoor bouquet with a delightful chocolately aroma!
Curry plant, Helichrysum italicum
Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia
Mint, Mentha spp.; mints are notorious for spreading aggressively in a garden so be sure to confine them to a pot
Oregano/Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare
Pineapple Sage, Salvia elegans
Scented Geraniums, Pelargonium spp.; different species have wildly different scents - rose, apple, pine, coconut, lemon, peppermint. Note: Prolonged contact with foliage may cause mild skin irritation. Avoid ingesting leaves; the essential oils they contain are toxic if eaten in large quantities.
Sound - If you listen closely, most gardens offer a symphony of sounds. Sit in your garden and listen to all the sounds of nature around you; the bees buzzing, the birds singing, the sounds of the wind rustling through grasses and plants. Add a water feature or wind chimes to enhance the sounds in your garden.
Bamboo, Phyllostachys
Fountain grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides
Lesser Quaking Grass (Briza minor) Note: This annual quaking grass’s perennial cousins, Briza media and Briza maxima, are listed as invasive in some parts of the country.
Money or Silver Dollar Plant, Lunaria annua
Sweetcorn, Zea mays
Trees, especially “weeping” varieties with arching branches, offer a variety of soothing sounds when a breeze blows through. Examples include willow, birch, and quaking aspen. In fall, dried leaves rustle on the branches and, when they fall, crunch underfoot.
Touch - Leaves and petals vary between plants, from rough to smooth, furry to spiky. Every texture has a purpose; many plants that are nice to feel have adapted to a specific natural environment in some way. To convey touch, you can display rough pieces of bark, river-smoothed stones, pine cones, moss-covered branches, and other natural materials to expand this touch-sense opportunity.
Hens and Chicks, Sempervivum tectorum
Jerusalem sage, Phlomis fruticosa
Lamb’s ears, Stachys byzantina
Silver sage, Salvia argentea
Snapdragons, Antirrhinum multiflorum; children of all ages love to pinch the sides of the blooms to open the “dragon’s” mouth.
Remember, not all plants are children (or people ) friendly. Click here for a list of some of the most common poisonous garden plants. Keep the Poison Control phone number handy and don’t hesitate to call them if you suspect a garden visitor has ingested something questionable. Try to have the name of the plant and the approximate amount ingested. Here is their contact information: Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222, https://www.poison.org.
"Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them."
The Audubon Nature Preschool
Sources
Bình luận