Planting Edmonds is a monthly column by and for local gardeners.

Have you ever wondered how to create a garden that engages all your senses and brings the outdoors to life in a fun and relaxing way?

While all gardens appeal in some way to our senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, a sensory garden uses plants and design elements in an intentional way. The goal is to target a specific sense or group of senses.

A sensory garden may be small, such as a couple of containers or raised beds on your balcony, or it can be expansive — your front yard or even a much larger landscape.

Sensory gardens often focus on special populations such as children with special needs, adults with dementia, the visually impaired, the hard-of-hearing or people with health, mobility or developmental challenges. But sensory gardens can be of value to all populations.

For example, raised planting beds make gardening comfortable for everyone but especially for children, the visually impaired, those with various mobility issues and wheelchair users. Memory care centers love raised beds and hanging baskets because color, touch and scent can calm residents and encourage the recollection of memories.

Sight

The sense of sight is one of the easiest senses to stimulate. Flowers and plants come in a multitude of colors. They bloom in different seasons, and they exhibit different textures such as creeping, trailing, climbing, bushy or upright.

Both deciduous and non-deciduous plants can provide interest in all seasons with differing leaf patterns, unusual bark and stem color.

Plants that attract pollinators like bees, birds and butterflies contribute movement and sound. The hum of a hummingbird or the buzzing of mason or honeybees will add to the overall sensory richness. On the other hand, if overstimulation is an issue, planting restful, soft-colored flowers can provide a healthy balance.

Flowers that go to seed in the fall or winter attract visiting birds and wildlife. In what looks like a barren winter landscape, fallen leaves create mulch to enrich the soil, and a stump or tree snag can provide a winter home for beneficial insects.

To add to the visual effect, sensory gardens can include accessories like gazing balls, benches, arbors, garden art, mirrors and sculptures.

Smell

Bringing wonderful scents into the garden can provide just as much pleasure as sight and sound. Scent can have a positive effect on mental health, making us feel calmer and happier. Certain scents can trigger memories of people, places and past experiences, and can be a positive experience for individuals with dementia or vision loss.

Ethel Dupar’s Fragrance Garden at Seattle’s Lighthouse for the Blind was designed for the vision impaired and has more than 60 different fragrant plants.

Some plants such as roses or hyacinths naturally release scent, while herbs may need to be rubbed or crushed. You can welcome scent into your garden whether you have a large or small space. Many herbs and flowers are happy in containers or small beds.

Catching the scent of roses or sweet peas on the breeze can be a wonderful experience. It’s always a good idea to choose plants with scents you actually like. You may love intense floral scents, but some people find sweet scents overpowering and prefer musky or earthy plants or the muted smell of shrubs.

Taste

Growing edible plants stimulates the sense of taste. Herbs, edible flowers like nasturtiums and honeysuckle, and all kinds of vegetables, fruits and berries engage multiple senses while also providing fresh ingredients for cooking.

Clear signage can help identify what plants are edible in the garden. Even during these cool winter months, you can grow plants like chard, kale, and cabbage. Perennial herbs like bay, rosemary, sage and thyme are hardy enough to survive the winter, although they may need some protection during severe cold spells.

Hearing

Incorporating sound is one of the most impactful ways to relieve stress and connect with nature. The soothing sounds of tall grasses, wind chimes or bells as they move with the breeze can create a meditative and calming atmosphere.

Water features like fountains and ponds are visually appealing and offer a soothing auditory experience. The gentle sound of flowing water can drown out background noise and contribute to a peaceful environment. Moving water also attracts wildlife, adding another layer of sensory interaction and connection to the natural world.

Birdsong, the buzzing of bees and hummingbirds, walking through dry leaves or the crunch of gravel underfoot can add additional auditory stimuli and promote pleasant memories. The Sound Garden at Seattle’s NOAA facility near Magnuson Park in Seattle (temporarily closed) is a sound installation that allows visitors to engage their auditory experience by introducing unique sounds into a field of grass and wildflowers on the shores of Lake Washington.

You can listen online to the sound harp by artist Douglas Hollis installed at the Seattle Sound Garden.

Touch

Plants with a variety of textures (rough, smooth, soft, spiky, fuzzy or sticky) stimulate the sense of touch. Think of velvety rose petals, the leathery texture of a magnolia leaf, or the fuzziness of lamb’s ears.

You can create an inviting touch garden in a small container, large pot or a special place in your yard. A fairy garden created along a sidewalk or in a container on your deck will encourage children to touch and explore.

Non-plant elements

Non-plant elements also enhance a garden’s sensory effects. Hardscape features such as different varieties of rock and stone can provide a stunning visual backdrop for the plants.

Raised planters made of wood, stone, or metal are an accessible and practical way to integrate sensory gardening for all users, especially those with mobility challenges. You can fill them with a variety of fragrant herbs, colorful flowers or textured plants to appeal to the senses of smell, sight and touch.

Planters are versatile in sensory gardens. They make gardening an inclusive and engaging experience for all ages, while benches provide a place to rest, reflect and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Water fountains and other water features stimulate many senses and can provide fresh water for birds, insects and other wildlife to drink. Bird houses and feeders or mason bee boxes create a visual sensory experience, while bird sounds and the humming of bees create a soundscape of their own.

Birds can add life to a garden with their movements, making them an engaging feature. A pollinator habitat enhances a sensory garden by encouraging beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife and promoting the exploration of movement and color. Plant a mix of nectar-rich flowers and create shelters to attract butterflies, bees and other beneficial creatures.

— Photos by Joan Ward, except where noted.

Joan Ward worked as an air traffic controller for seven years, then returned to graduate school at UW, earning a Master of Social Work degree. For the past 40 years she has worked with children at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital and King County Superior Court, focusing on children with complex trauma histories and those with special mental health, neurodevelopmental and health care needs.

Through those experiences she saw that tIme spent in nature helped children cope with adversity and trauma while promoting resilience, recovery and mood regulation. Her sessions with children often took place in parks and gardens. There’s something in kids that makes them want to touch, smell, taste, listen to sounds, run around and explore. Now a Master Gardener and nature enthusiast, Joan enjoys volunteering with organizations such as Floretum Garden Club and Edmonds in Bloom, which sponsor school garden programs throughout the community.