UCCE
Tulare County Home Page
UCCE
Kings County Home Page
Gardening for the Senses
By Thea Fiskin, UC Master Gardener
Creating a new garden or renovating an existing one is an exciting task. Need some ideas? Here are some suggestions to add other dimensions to your garden. Try planning your garden to satisfy all your senses: sight, smell, sound, touch and taste.Please your own sense of sight and make the garden a reflection of your personality by using your favorite color or colors. Colors affect different people different ways, so don't plant the "in" color scheme. And don't forget about the winter when you make your plans. Even when little is blooming, there should be other components of the garden to "please the eye". Think about a whimsical statue, an arbor with a swing or maybe a water feature such as a pond or birdbath. Even something as simple as a few birdhouses can add visual interest. Movement can also be important. Watching a breeze move through ornamental grasses or through trees can be very relaxing.
Scented candles for aroma therapy are all the rage these days. Use your garden for a little therapy, too. Dot perfumed plants around the garden so you can have a variety of fragrances. Take special care to plant them near windows and doorways and close to benches. Don't limit yourself to roses. Try lilacs, citrus trees, jasmines, honeysuckle, lavenders, and sweet peas, to name a few.
What did Grandma have in her garden? Chances are the plants you remember were the fragrant ones. Plant them in your garden to evoke a pleasant memory of days gone by. My son's favorite is the spearmint. When he edged the lawn he always "accidentally" hit the mint and filled the garden with the fragrance. Plant rosemary, lavender, or thyme near walkways where you will brush against them to release their aromas. Please don't use my son's method.
Remember the breeze moving through the trees? Well, add wind chimes to the tree and you have more sound. The golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) has wonderful seedpods that rustle in the wind all winter. There is something magical about it. A bird feeder and birdbath will invite the little feathered creatures who not only provide sound, but eat insects as well. If you live where you hear traffic, try a fountain or a pond with a waterfall to provide "white noise". It really can make a difference by masking unwanted sounds.
While touch sounds a little odd, it adds something special to your garden experience. Even walking through a well-maintained lawn barefoot can soothe the soul. I grow lambs ears (Stachys byzantina) because the soft, thick, woolly leaves are a favorite. Children can't resist petting it. It also makes a great drought tolerant edging.
Last but not least is taste. I am a firm believer in growing edibles in the garden. Nothing beats going out and picking something homegrown and popping it into your mouth. You don't have to have them segregated in a vegetable patch, either. Designed with care, edible gardens can be made to look as ornamental as any flower garden. Swiss chard, artichoke and rhubarb make a great conversation piece in a perennial bed. Many herbs are extremely decorative. Try using parsley or alpine strawberries as an edging around roses. My fruit trees (apricot, cherry, citrus, fig, peach, pomegranate, plum and quince) are all used as ornamental trees. I don't have them in a grid like an orchard. Instead they are planted around the perimeter of my yard to hide the fence as well as give my family a little extra privacy.
Everyone dreams of a secluded haven - their own secret garden. Perhaps some of these ideas can help you change your yard into a sanctuary.
May 11, 2000
Newspaper Articles | Index to Gardening Articles | Master Gardener Home Page