Plants that can stimulate the senses or create calm

Stimulating Sight

There are many ways you can stimulate sight with plants by choosing different shapes, textures, patterns, and most importantly, colour. No matter what space you have available, there are plants to create a vibrant display. A simple combination of shrubs, trees, ornamentals, and flower varieties can create a wonderful visual feast.

Different colours can create different moods, so consider this when deciding on your visually stimulating garden display. Cooler colours such as greens, whites, and blues can have a calming effect, while yellows, oranges, reds and pinks are more vibrant and visually stimulating.

Different visual textures and shapes can also help. Consider growing tall hollyhocks or delphiniums for bright spires of colour, or perhaps round blooms of agapanthus or allium for the same vibrancy but in a different shape.

Stimulating Hearing

Simulating the body with sound can be easily achieved in gardens with the addition of wind chimes and water features creating babbling or splashing sounds. There are also plants that can add some auditory stimulation whilst you are outside.

One of the simplest ways to stimulate sound in the garden is to take inspiration from the wind chime and choose plants that make sound as they move in the breeze. Many ornamental grasses are great for adding a subtle rusting sound to your garden orchestra. These include Fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale) or even bamboo, which technically is a variety of grass.

You may also choose to add plants that encourage pollinators, particularly bees, which add a wonderful and lively buzzing sound to the garden. Flowers such as Bee balm (Monarda didyama) or Verbena bonariensis are fast favourites among these garden friends.

Stimulating Taste

As food is one key reason to grow plants, there is a wide variety of flavours to enjoy from the garden to stimulate taste. You don’t need to have a full vegetable patch, just a little space can go a long way.

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables can create a wide range of tastes to enjoy. This ranges from the heat of chilli peppers to the familiar flavour of carrots, the sweetness of a fresh strawberry or the tartness of acidic cherries. You can choose these plants based on what you find easy to grow, what flavours you enjoy, or your favourite meals to cook.

If space is limited in your garden, you can still set aside a small space for herbs. These could be grown in a raised bed, as part of a living wall, or in a container. Whether it is Oregano ‘Hot and Spicy’ for some spice, the familiar and refreshing taste of mint, or the delicious and cosy flavour of rosemary, there are plenty of different tastes you can enjoy.

Stimulating Smell

Many plants in the garden can add scent for you to enjoy, whether it’s the popular fragrance of freshly cut grass or your favourite flowers.

Some of the best plants for fragrance are also some of the best for taste, with herbs really packing an aromatic punch. Sage (Salvia officinalis) and basil (Ocimum basilicum) have especially fragrant scents to enjoy.

When it comes to flowering plants, there are many to lean towards to stimulate scent. The heavenly sweet scent of honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) is a sure winner. Roses in all their varieties offer scents at many different intensities to suit your preferences. Common jasmine (Jasminum officinale) is a lovely climbing shrub to add some fragrance. And for a familiar and delicious scent, 'chocolate' cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) is known for its chocolate and vanilla aroma.

Stimulating Touch

Using different textures to stimulate your sense of touch is easily done in a garden, with plenty of options for different sensations.

One of the softest and loveliest plants for a delicate touch is Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina), named for its soft, silky foliage.

For a smoother surface, succulents such as aloe vera and Mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) are ideal. Their plump leaves can handle being very gently squeezed, thanks to their high water content. The prickly edges of some Mother-in-law’s tongue varieties can also add some additional texture.

10 recommended plants to stimulate the senses

1. Delphiniums
2. Agapanthus
3. Fountain grass
4. Verbena bonariensis
5. Roses
6. Herbs
7. Strawberries
8. Honeysuckle
9. Lamb's ears
10. Mother-in-law's tongue

Having more plants around you generally is proven to help you to relax, but there are some plants that are particularly skilled at this.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is particularly renowned for helping to aid relaxation. It is often used as an essential oil for this purpose and as a sleeping aid. Chamomile is also able to relax you in a similar way, possibly thanks to the flavonoid ‘apigenin’, which is thought to have anti-anxiety properties. Chamomile is often enjoyed as a relaxing cup of tea.

Enhancing mood is another way to create calm, by adding plenty of cheerful colours to your garden. Chrysanthemums are ideal for this, coming in a variety of happy and varied colours. You can find flower varieties as single, double, and large blooms to add some additional texture to enjoy too.

On the topic of colour, green is scientifically proven to help with relaxation. Human beings can see more different shades of green than any other colour. Plus, studies have shown that walking into a green environment can cause a significant reduction in your heart rate, so it is proven to help with providing a calming atmosphere. There is a great variety of plants that can bring green to your homes and gardens. Some lovely evergreen options include Camellias, with Camellia japonica producing lovely soft-pink blooms in the spring, or perhaps Hydrangeas, with their variety of leaf shapes, shades, and bountiful blooms to choose from.

5 recommended plants to create calm

1. Lavender
   
2. Chamomile
3. Chrysanthemums
4. Camellias
5. Hydrangeas