From colour and texture to light and movement, there are so many ways to stimulate our sense of sight in a garden. We look at ways to make a visual impact, as part of sensory garden design.
- A garden that is a visual delight can be a place of joy that you and others want to spend time in
- The chance to design a space that has a particular effect. Some colours are calming and soothing for example, while others are stimulating and exciting
- Sights in a garden change through the year, offering continued interest and motivation
Bright orange-yellow calendula flowers
Sight might be the most obvious of the senses when we think about a garden. For many people, as soon as you come across a garden space you are immediately drawn to the colour and shapes of the plants and surroundings.
I enjoy seeing brightly coloured flowers and vivid greens.
Survey respondent, gardening and dementia
Different sights can have different effects and appeal. Some people like the calming feeling of plants in shades of whites and blues. Others like a garden that is wild, packed with plants and the motion of wildlife. The sight of some plants can trigger memories and be an important part of storytelling.
Try to plan space for a bench or spot to sit in your garden. This can give you the perfect opportunity to sit back, observe and enjoy your surroundings.
And if you have limited space, such as a balcony or small terrace, you can grow colourful plants and flowers in pots and containers.
There are plenty of ways we can design our space to make the most of its visual impact. Our sense of sight can be stimulated by a number of different elements, including:
- Colour
- Visual texture
- Shape
- Movement
- Light and shadow
Colour
Soft purple salvia flowers
The easiest way to engage your sense of sight in a sensory garden is through colour. As part of our survival mechanism, different colours give us important messages, like the red-orange glow of a hot ember. But beyond this, colour helps us enjoy the beauty of our environment.
Colour is visually stimulating, but can also add order and balance, unity, rhythm, focal points and accents to a garden. Different colours can create different effects:
- Warm colours - red, orange, yellow - brighten the emotions and promote activity
- Cool colours - blue, purple, white - tend to be soothing and promote tranquility
Flowers are an effective way to add colour. Colourful fruits, foliage and bark can also enhance a garden’s visual appeal.
If you have any visual impairment, you may still find certain colours are more visible than others. Some people find they are able to see yellow, white and blue flowers for longer than other colours. You may choose to design with big blocks of bold flower colour. Explore what is best for you.
It's not only plants that bring colour to a garden. Hard landscaping elements can also be appealing. For example, if you have raised beds, you could paint them a bright bold colour so they attract the eye.
Visual texture
The striking leaves of a Persian shield
Plants with interesting visual texture add to the sensory garden experience. Excellent additions for sensory gardens include plants that are smooth, rough, ruffled or fuzzy.
The overall texture of a plant is another thing to think about. For example, a fine-textured plant has small leaves and a slightly sparse appearance. A coarse-textured plant on the other hand has large leaves and a fuller appearance.
When you plan your planting, think about the layers you can develop by placing large, tall plants at the back of flower beds and smaller ones at the front. For example, a backdrop of tall bushy lemongrass looks appealing. This could be contrasted with sage near the front with its soft grey-blue tones and the bright green of a spreading thyme plant acting as a ground cover.
Shape
Wisteria cascading over a garden structure
Plants come in many shapes and forms including:
- upright
- creeping
- weeping
- cascading
- columnar
Individual parts of plants, such as leaves or fruit, have their own shapes too.
Mix up the selection of plants in your garden by choosing creeping, hanging, upright or miniature plant species. A variety of heights, shapes and patterns can be created with different types of plants.
Movement
A tree reflection rippling in the water
You can incorporate movement into your garden in many ways, such as:
- Plants and flowers that sway in the wind
- Moving water features
- Floating leaves or flowers in ponds
Ponds and fountains can also have beautiful reflections to watch moving on their surface, as well as adding fluidity and contrasting texture.
Light and shadow
Roses growing over a pergola with dappled light. Photo credit - Sarah, Unsplash
Light and shadow can be visually important sensory garden elements, especially when they are in contrast.
You could experimenting with light and shadow. Try some subtle contrasts, like dappled sunlight through a tree, as well as dramatic ones, like a dark tunnel of willows or vines leading to an area of full sun.
When planning sensory experiences for children, it's good to include colours, shapes, light and special features throughout the year.
You could have different areas to stimulate different moods - a calming blue and white section, and a stimulating red and orange section for example. You could also add colour in other ways, such as brightly coloured pots and planters.
Brightly coloured flowers and plants also make great subjects for drawings and paintings.
You can add fun visual elements. You could tuck sculptures, plant markers or mobiles into the corners of the outside space. Children can help create, place and find these.
As well as choosing trees and shrubs that attract birds, you could have a bird bath or bird feeders. This will allow children to enjoy a spot of bird watching.
Playing a game of ‘I Spy’ or doing a scavenger hunt is a good way to get children really looking in the garden.
Sunflowers
These are just a few examples of plants that can stimulate our sense of sight in the garden:
- Bright and bold - purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), pelargoniums, tulips, alliums, Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium caeruleum)
- Native wildflowers - ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), corn marigold (Glebionis segetum)
- Ornamental grasses - pampas grasses (Cortaderia), miscanthus
- Striking leaves - Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus), fan plant (Begonia rex), hostas
If you are creating a sensory garden for children, these are good visual plants to include:
- Sunflowers - they can grow up to 30cm (1ft) in height in a week!
- Pot marigold (calendula) - these are easy to grow from seed
- Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata) - amazing three-toned foliage that smells of lemon
- Swiss chard 'Bright Lights' - the brightly-coloured stems and foliage of this unusual vegetable are as tasty as they are beautiful
- Heuchera 'Chocolate Ruffles' - purple leaves with chocolate-coloured undersides
- Common poppies (Papaver rhoeas)
Related content
Planning a sensory garden
Sensory gardens include features, objects and plants that appeal to our senses. They can be calming or stimulating, with a range of potential wellbeing benefits.
