Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Thoughts on a sensory garden? (self.Blind)
submitted 7y ago by SundaiNext
Hi, I'm in the very early planning stages of designing a sensory garden, predominantly aimed at benefitting the visually impaired. We're hoping to get some active involvement from the users of the garden, like planting, weeding etc., but also with something like interactive water features and the like.
What would be really helpful is to get some input from visually impaired people early on. Have you used sensory gardens before? What has worked? What didn't work? What do you think would be good/ important to incorporate in a sensory garden?
Any feedback at all would help, even if it is to point me to a more appropriate place if this isn't it (I'm very sorry if that is the case). We will, of course be talking to the local users at a later date, but we want to have initial ideas and plans to bring to them and I suspect that there are many things that I, as a sighted person, wouldn't consider and wouldn't pick up from formal literature.
Thanks for any help!
What would be really helpful is to get some input from visually impaired people early on. Have you used sensory gardens before? What has worked? What didn't work? What do you think would be good/ important to incorporate in a sensory garden?
Any feedback at all would help, even if it is to point me to a more appropriate place if this isn't it (I'm very sorry if that is the case). We will, of course be talking to the local users at a later date, but we want to have initial ideas and plans to bring to them and I suspect that there are many things that I, as a sighted person, wouldn't consider and wouldn't pick up from formal literature.
Thanks for any help!
modulus 1 points
A bit late, but one thing I remember having read is that modern flower varieties tend to be optimised for colour and other visual parameters, while older varieties tended to be optimised for scent. So if you're aiming the garden at people who won't be experiencing it visually, I'd think about getting hold of older flower styles which keep more scent. Also time and sun/shade probably would have some impact on it.
Unuhi 1 points
I love gardening.
Here's a few tips from RNIb for design http://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/Designing%20gardens%20and%20nature%20trails%20June%202013.doc
Try to find some local VI gardeners.
Figure the paths first.
I'm a big fan of raised beds. Raiseed beds in a way that all ares can be reached easily. Similar items together, and use scented plants in many locations. Rosemary, lavender, basil, flowers...
And you can change what's in one raised bed or pot if somethibg dies or when it's the next season,
All plants should be safe to touch, nonpoisonous too.
Find a way to label them - tactile, raised letters, braille, a combination.
All tools need to always be in the same place so they don't get lost.
Soft plants, plants with different textures and feel, sound of leaves etc.
Easy plants (like sunflower), more difficult ones too.
A lot will depend on the climate as in what will grow and what wom't. Where will your garden be? (City/state)
Here's a few tips from RNIb for design http://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/Designing%20gardens%20and%20nature%20trails%20June%202013.doc
Try to find some local VI gardeners.
Figure the paths first.
I'm a big fan of raised beds. Raiseed beds in a way that all ares can be reached easily. Similar items together, and use scented plants in many locations. Rosemary, lavender, basil, flowers...
And you can change what's in one raised bed or pot if somethibg dies or when it's the next season,
All plants should be safe to touch, nonpoisonous too.
Find a way to label them - tactile, raised letters, braille, a combination.
All tools need to always be in the same place so they don't get lost.
Soft plants, plants with different textures and feel, sound of leaves etc.
Easy plants (like sunflower), more difficult ones too.
A lot will depend on the climate as in what will grow and what wom't. Where will your garden be? (City/state)
SundaiNext [OP] 1 points
Fabulous, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it!
I'm in the UK (Midlands), South facing slope.
Putting scented plants in different areas, perhaps as sort of markers(?) is a great idea, thank you.
As I said, we're still in the very early stages yet, but we absolutely want active, local involvement in the design stages as well as as part of maintaining the garden itself. I'm just trying to use every resource available so I can bring our volunteers and focus groups something to work from.
I'm in the UK (Midlands), South facing slope.
Putting scented plants in different areas, perhaps as sort of markers(?) is a great idea, thank you.
As I said, we're still in the very early stages yet, but we absolutely want active, local involvement in the design stages as well as as part of maintaining the garden itself. I'm just trying to use every resource available so I can bring our volunteers and focus groups something to work from.
Unuhi 1 points
Call RNIB to chat and to see if you could find some local resources too :)
Wouldn't it be nice? Local visually impaired of any age for some ideas what they like.
Blind Veterans too, and ask around locally to find any VI resources or people.
And other sensory: deaf, SPD and ASD. A few local young children who are autistic could provide other good input.
Wouldn't it be nice? Local visually impaired of any age for some ideas what they like.
Blind Veterans too, and ask around locally to find any VI resources or people.
And other sensory: deaf, SPD and ASD. A few local young children who are autistic could provide other good input.
romanj35 1 points
I, personally, would not go to a garden. When I could see it was not anything I was ever interested in. Now, that being said, there is some general advice I could give you.
If your overall goal is to promote gardening, and you don't ever plan on moving the garden around then plan the layout carefully. The layout needs to stay the same, all the time, every day, every month. Expanding and changing is nice...for sighted people.
This includes tools. The rakes, spades, hoes, etc they all need to in the same place all the time. In fact, if this were my project, I'd spend the first day hanging up all the tools and taking them back down and hanging them back up again so I could learn where they all go. It seems too easy to move the fertiliser and bedding pots somewhere else and forget that the people coming to weed can't see where it's been moved to.I'd also leave out roses, and any other plant with thorns, spurs, rickets, etc. Cactus are great to look at but hell to take out of the skin.
If your overall goal is to promote gardening, and you don't ever plan on moving the garden around then plan the layout carefully. The layout needs to stay the same, all the time, every day, every month. Expanding and changing is nice...for sighted people.
This includes tools. The rakes, spades, hoes, etc they all need to in the same place all the time. In fact, if this were my project, I'd spend the first day hanging up all the tools and taking them back down and hanging them back up again so I could learn where they all go. It seems too easy to move the fertiliser and bedding pots somewhere else and forget that the people coming to weed can't see where it's been moved to.I'd also leave out roses, and any other plant with thorns, spurs, rickets, etc. Cactus are great to look at but hell to take out of the skin.
SundaiNext [OP] 1 points
Thank you, that's a great tip on the layout. I doubt that would have occurred to me, because that is quite different to how I, as a sighted person, think of gardening. I appreciate it.
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