Making a sensory garden is a simple and natural way to experience the outdoor space in a deeper way, stimulating the five senses with plants, materials and perfumes that speak directly to the soul.
At first glance it may seem one of those ideas as a patinated magazine, with perfect photos and too beautiful corners to be true. But in reality it doesn’t take much to create a small space that invites you to slow down and get involved by the senses. Even a balcony can become the starting point for a richer and more authentic experience.
A rusty table recovered in the attic, a lavender vase resting on the windowsill, a slightly crooked but comfortable chair … sometimes they are enough details so to give life to a corner that smells of quiet. It is not necessary to chase perfection, but listen. And transform the garden – or what is there – into a place to see, touch, smell, listen and taste. Simple, but deeply human.
The power of the sensory garden: colors, shapes and lights that speak to the heart
When you start thinking about a garden that stimulates the sensesthe gaze is the first to drive. The colors tell emotions, light memories or simply relax. There is no need to be a flower jungle, on the contrary. Sometimes, a well thoughtful contrast is enough, an apt combination, an out of place plant that captures the eye.
Vivacious flowers like poppy, calendula or lavender give energy. Particular leaves, such as those of Heuchera or ornamental cabbage, give rhythm and movement. And then there are the plays of light: lanterns, candles, reflections on the leaves. Everything contributes to creating atmosphere. Just observe the green at sunset to understand how much the perception of a place can change.
The touch of nature: textures and surfaces to be caressed
The touch often remains in the background. Still, touching is one of the most instinctive and sincere things that can be done. Try to believe: bare feet on the grass, hands that touch velvety leaves, fingers that put themselves in the still hot earth of sun.
- The hairy leaves of the Stachys Byzina seem to be made on purpose to be caressed.
- Walking on cortex or smooth stones makes every step heard.
- Terracotta, rattan, bamboo … simple materials, but full of stories to be told with only touch.
There is no need to build a path from Botanical Park. Sometimes it is sufficient to choose carefully where to place your feet, where to drop, where to pass a distracted hand. It is there that connection is created. That’s where the garden begins to speak.
Perfumes in the air: how to stimulate the sense of smell with flowers and aromas in the sensory garden
There are those who recognize the summer from the scent of rosemary, those who feel nostalgia with a rose, those who relax only with lavender. The sense of smell does not mind. A Perfumed garden He tells stories without using words.
Plants like Menta, timo, pineapple sage o cinnamon basil they surprise each touch. Turning alongside us is already an experience. And then there are the flowers: the Caprifoglio that suddenly comes out, the jasmine that fills the summer evenings, the Gardenia that seems to have come out of a distant memory.
Not everything must be intense. There are areas that is nice to leave neutral, even silent in perfumes. Thus, when that particular note arrives in the air, it is recognized immediately. And it remains.
The sound of the green: southern leaves and water that flows
There is silence … and then there is the silence of a garden. It is never really empty: there is the wind that moves the leaves, the distant chirping, a bee that works without making noise. And then the water: even just a few drops that descend from a fountain, and everything changes.
- Bamboo frustrates as thin paper.
- The windfieldelli are just tinking, as if to say that time flows.
- Walking on the gravel makes you feel alive, step by step.
It doesn’t take much to create sound: just remove the noise. That’s where you really feel.
Taste and nature: herbs and fruits to be savored
The idea of enjoying something collected with your own hands … has something magical. Even just a mint leaf torn on the fly or a strawberry forgotten under a leaf.
And sensory garden which also involves the palate is more complete, more lived. Perfect vegetable gardens are not needed: some jars with aromatic herbs, a currant bush, perhaps a vase of ribbons to be used in salad.
And then put them close to the points where you stop. A chair, a cup of tea, the afternoon sun. The taste comes slowly, but when it is, it makes it remember.
Each green space can become a refuge for the senses. There is no need to plan everything immediately. Perhaps it is enough to start with a plant that smells, a corner where to walk barefoot, a hot light for the evening. Nature makes the rest. He suggests, inspires, accompanies.
And it reminds us that, sometimes, to feel good, it takes little. Just stop.
Photo © Stock.adobe
FOLLOW CASTLI NEWS ON
