Anyone want to help me plan a school sensory garden?

[Cathpot]

I’ve just had the nod today that I can go ahead and turn a small neglected area of the site into a school sensory garden/ veggie patch. It’s a secondary school with an SEN unit attached so I’ve asked for new raised beds, a fence, and a wheelchair accessible path, the rest is up to me and hopefully a band of kids in a gardening club I’ll start in September. I’m getting ahead of myself really as I’m still gathering costings so it’s early days, but I’m excited about it! Any thoughts on things to include? Practical things to consider? School has tools and greenhouse. I’d like lots of herbs for scent , easy to eat things like beans and strawberries, some bird feeders, flowers , fruit trees possibly. I can’t really do noisy things as the area runs under classroom windows but interesting visual things would be great. I live nearby and soil is fertile and slightly acid but I’ve yet to check the actual area. The school has a chill out sensory room for those that need it , I’m wondering if any useful aspect of that could be replicated outside. I’m just musing at the moment so any ideas very welcome!

There is lots of advice on the web, e.g.
www.sensorytrust.org.uk/information/factsheets/sensory-garden-2.html

Good luck!

Don't forget texture. Different plants have different textures. Many plant have velvety leaves, some are covered in fuzz, some are bumpy, others are smooth and rubbery. Consider colourful plants also. Do bear in mind that fruit trees will take a long time grow and bare fruit unless you buy more mature trees but these are expensive. Re easy to eat consider edible flowers like honey suckle (I have find memories of raising the honey suckles at my pro art school).

We have bamboo in our garden and it rustles and shimmers in the breeze. I keep finding myself staring at it!

And reading that the soil is acid, you definitely need blueberries. The only downside is that they tend to fruit in the summer holidays!

And the ads at the bottom of the screen are reminding me about lavender!

Different plants make different sounds in the wind as well as giving varied textures and colours, look at grasses, lavender, cordylines, ferns. For scents a short tunnel with jasmine, climbing roses, clematis above perhaps with a section made out of willow. How about different surfaces such as bumpy concrete, soft rubber etc.

I know you say you can't do noisy things, but can you do plants which are noisy in a "rustly" way like dried seed heads etc?

Lots of texture like ornamental grasses (grow so easily) you can run your fingers through. I love aliums - so striking to look at and the dried seed heads are super tactile and fun for kids. If they plant the bulbs in the autumn they will see the results the following spring.

Ferns are overlooked and can make very beautiful, interesting shapes as they grow in the spring and could work well in a shady corner. They smell very "green" and relaxing too. Ostrich/shuttlecock ferns are interesting as their appearance changes as they grow, and the new growth of eurythrosa brilliance (I think it's called) is a lovely red colour.

Practically speaking, I guess you have to consider issues around poisonous plants....

You can't avoid poisonous plants completely, imo, as nearly all plants are poisonous/have toxic parts if enough is ingested. But probably wise to avoid plants like Lily of the valley which has poisonous (yet delicious looking!) berries.

Id go for fruit bushes rather than trees if you want quick results - agree with pickachew about blueberries. They are much easier than I thought to grow (we have them in pots with ericaceous soil) and as well as the fruit you get pretty flowers late spring and nice autumn colour.

No foxgloves either, pretty though they are.

How about a barefoot path with mud, bark chippings, etc, so long as it's not an area that will get broken glass.

If you wanted to use it in the winter too there's winter scented jasmine and possibly dogwood for colour. Birches have lovely bark too and grow fast.

Herbs for scent they can crush in their fingers. Can you include water somehow, shallow rills running round edge of beds, or a big shallow dish with a sort of water maze trickling through? Tough if there isn't easy access to water, but amazing for sensory soothing and touch if you can. Different textures underfoot (alongside wheelchair suitable path) so you travel over sand, bark, cobbles, grass, foam etc as you go along the path. I know you said not noisy - would one of those rainmaker thing you tip up to give a rain sound be too much?

Yes water. A shallow container with solar fountain or a hand pump to circulate a water system.

My son has SEN and he loves bamboo, fruit, big white daisies, his favourite garden was where the plants all had labels with numbers and names on though did send him a bit hyper numbers plus plants I think he would like to plant things you can grow like runner beans and other veg. Quite keen on cacti and a venus flytrap obsession but that's indoors.

Thank you so much -lots of lovely ideas! I’m going to start a notebook. I hadn’t thought of bamboo / grasses for rustling , also winter colour. I was wondering about water, there is a School pond somewhere else on site, but maybe something small. I’ve always wanted to try waterlillies in wide bowls . Moving water would be lovely- once I confirm budget I might be able to fund raise for extras like that. Thinking also about mobiles of some sort that move in the wind- long term I’d like to get the DT dept involved. Not sure I would make many friends with any kind of deliberate noise as it impacts on 6 classrooms although rainmaker thingy might be fairly quiet.

I’ve done nice labels with my own kids at home using sharpies on white rocks but they only last a season-possibly a layer of varnish. The SEN unit staff would be keen to get the kids involved in various ways in planning and planting I think.

Not sure about barefoot - but that’s something I can ask the unit staff.

The Royal Horticultural Society have some information/advice

schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Resources/Info-Sheet/setting-up-a-school-garden

Yes, varnish works well on written / painted stones.

Smaller bamboos could be Fargesia rufa or Fargesia murielae

For grasses you can try Pennisetum alopecuroides, which has brush like flower stalks

Different varieties and colours of creeping thyme that can be stepped on, releasing scent

Rosemary and ferns

Honeysuckle and star jasmine for climbers

Lovely- I’m writing it all down! That RHS link is very useful- only had time for a quick look but I could use their sections to organise any external funding proposals.

I might ring the sensory trust people and have a chat

Could you hang coloured plastic to catch in the sunlight?

Our school managed to get things donated from shops like B&Q and local companies, things like benches or wood.

My DS loves stones though you need to watch its not things they could throw, hit etc with if its not well supervised. My DS likes to be able to hide especially in very small spaces when school gets too much, he used to ask for a dog kennel at school 😁 obviously not a dog kennel but if a secret bit is possible that would be good.

There is someone at school who I think knows how to make wicker structures, and I do fancy including some sort of covered place to sit in. I obviously see the kids in our unit when they are out and about but I haven’t taught them so I don’t know any of them at the moment - I will definitely bring them on board as we plan. I’ve been thinking about the wheelchair path and that I could contact the parents of the kids that use wheelchairs and just see if they have any practical advice or preferences .

Bamboo is lovely for noise but make sure it is well contained or it will bolt everywhere. Some kinds do that much less so check with garden centre etc people. Use RHS website too. Lots of info there.

Sarcococca Confusa and daphne for winter scent. Also witch hazel . God I want witch hazel!

Local horticultural socs might have stuff to donate, I would certainly donate plants if you were local!

Shallow bowls planted with moss are lovely for texture.