At CreativeWorks we like to encourage children to connect to nature in a variety of ways. In the past, we’d wanted to put in a sensory garden, but did not really have the room as our garden beds are filled with the children's other favorites, such as pumpkins and cutting flowers. So, we opted to create a sensory garden in containers.
Sensory Container Garden
Mounted on Fence
We decided to mount each container on our fence at a low level in order to provide children with easy access to the plants. We used black iron wall-mounted flowerpot holders to hold the 9" pots. (These can be somewhat costly, but a store near us reduces the price at the end of spring to less than $3.00 each).
The holders were mounted 23" above ground level, which seemed to be a good compromise for the varying ages of our students. Installation is fairly straightforward, with just four screws needed to mount the holders to the fence post. A level comes in handy to make sure the holders are level but is not required.
Our plan was to start small and add to the selection as time goes on. We chose 6 pots to start with and used plants that use examples of both smell and touch. The plants chosen were:
- Lemon Basil-lemon aroma from leaves; definitely a favorite with the children
- Chocolate Mint-chocolate mint aroma when leaves are touched
- Strawflower-dry paper-like texture of flower petals
- Spearmint-minty aroma when leaves are felt
- Lambs Ear-super soft leave which even adults find interesting
- Sensitive Plant-this is a neat plant the reacts to touch. **note: has thorns that need to be clipped for safety