What better way to start the New Year in the garden than with a project of, say, designing and building a sensory garden, says gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.

A sensory garden allows adults and children to explore the space with sound, touch, smell, sight and taste.

Sound in the garden is not only running water, but it’s the bird life that has been encouraged by plantings. Add wind chimes or large ornamental grasses that can be used for sound. Think also of seasonal change, where there is rustling of leaves in autumn and trees moving in the wind. 

Touch: flowers that are bold will be attractive to touch, such as a dainty fuchsia. The flowers benefit the pollinators and help bring the whole eco system together. 

Smell: Highly textured foliage plants such as woolly bush (Adenanthos sericeus) can be planted along pathways where it is deliberate to brush past or have plantings overlapping on the surface to release aromatic scent if trodden on. 

Some of my favourites to use in this situation would be curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) or chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Both are aromatic and very drought tolerant and require very little water.

Sight: a sensory garden has to be pleasing to the eye. Shrubs and flowers of differing heights show a calming space. 

Taste: a sensory experience is growing something from seed to your own plate and a part of a personal wellbeing journey. There are trials and tribulations with pests and diseases along the way, but growing your own food, for example picking a warm tomato off the vine, is the pinnacle of happiness in the garden. 

Therapeutic horticulture and sensory gardens in Australia have boomed over the last 20 years and there’s a popular drive for gardens to be incorporated into the hospital environment to aid the wellbeing of patients. Although these are large-scale sensory gardens, the principles can be applied to any size garden to improve the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing in our homes.

Plants around us increase our oxygen levels and many herbs and spices have powerful health benefits that are known to be beneficial to us all such as sage for brain health, turmeric for its anti-inflammatory issues and rosemary to prevent allergies. 

These are all plants that grow in pots or in gardens and offer a good start to building your own sensory garden. 

EVENING primrose (Oenothera speciosa), which survives on very little rainfall and full sun, is flowering at dusk at the moment. 

Terrific for a dry garden and tough conditions, it grows in hard, rocky soil and is useful for summer colour in a wildflower garden.

Cut them back after flowering to prevent self-seeding. Over time, you will create a groundcover that thrives on neglect. 

Jottings

• Keep picking berries to encourage more flowering.

• If picking stone fruit, refrigerate straight away.

• Spray cherry and pear trees with dipel for pear and cherry slug.

• Little pruning should be done in the hot weather. 

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au