Sensory garden

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.[1]

A sensory garden is a self-contained garden area that allows visitors to enjoy a wide variety of sensory experiences.[2] Sensory gardens are designed to provide opportunities to stimulate the senses, both individually and in combination, in ways that users may not usually encounter.[3]

Sensory gardens have a wide range of educational and recreational applications.[2] They can be used in the education of special-needs students, including autistic people.[4] As a form of horticultural therapy, they may act as therapeutic gardens to help in the care of people with dementia.[5]

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, 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 provides 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.

  1. ^ "The Blind People's Garden of Bremen". www.lesum.de. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Sensory garden design advice 1. Sensory Trust". www.sensorytrust.org.uk. 21 February 2003. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Sensory Gardens - Gardening Solutions - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences". gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  4. ^ Hussein, H (December 2009). "Sensory Garden in Special Schools: The Issues, Design and Use". Journal of Design and Built Environment. 5 (1): 77–95. ISSN 2232-1500. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  5. ^ Gonzalez MT, Kirkevold M (October 2014). "Benefits of sensory garden and horticultural activities in dementia care: a modified scoping review". Journal of Clinical Nursing. 23 (19–20): 2698–715. doi:10.1111/jocn.12388. PMID 24128125.