The Labyrinth
“The dawn of all things real is breaking o’er me, my heart is singing: I have found the way.” — Violet Hay
The path begins near the cat, and ends at the benches. So near, follow the flat stones, and at the benches “think on these things.”
The Sight Garden
“The soul that can speak with its eyes can also kiss with a gaze” — Author Unknown
Sight is a dominant sense in any botanical experience. The Five Senses Gardens offer a palette of colorful plants and flowers, unique to every season. The mostly blue blossoms of Balloon Flowers, Russian Sage and Verbena, the Red Hot Pokers, Solomon’s Seal and Jacob’s Ladder are featured in the Sight Garden. Ornamental grasses, such as the low growing Blue Oat and 20-foot Gigante grass offer striking contrasts.
The Touch Garden
“The skin knows nothing but feels everything” — Montagu Don
The tactility of plant life is easily overlooked in our aesthetically driven world. The extreme differences in textures of plant surfaces offers surprises to the purveyor of the Touch Garden. From the Yellow Cactus to the soft Lamb’s Ear, many textures are to be enjoyed. Scotch Broom and Mediterranean Heather are not too far from the prickly Hops and the feathery Yarrow. Smooth stones, worn by the elements of nature slip quickly through your fingers.
The Sound Garden
“There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.” — Minnie Aumonier
The symphony of bird songs include solos of flickers, bluebirds, grouse, white egrets and a variety of woodpeckers. An ensemble of warblers plus the talented solos of cardinals, robins and juncos create a natural harmony. The sound of high grasses as the wind blows . . . the crackling of autumn leaves under one’s feet … the babbling of water in the creek are all music in nature’s symphony.
The Smell Garden
“Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.” — Heinrich Heine
Rich fragrances abound within The Five Senses Gardens as the flowers emit nature’s perfumes. The subtle aromas of this create a natural olfactory experience for visitors. The musty smells of cultivating the earth are prevalent as each season requires specialized plantings to provide visitors with a scented journey through nature. The vanilla aroma of clethra, the delicate scents of sweet allysum, lavender, monarda, honeysuckle, lily of the valley and sweet annie blend into smells that may haunt us.
The Taste Garden
“The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.” — Frances Moore Lappé
The sweet burst of taste in a mint leaf has a surprising effect in one’s mouth, perhaps reminiscent of Grandmother’s cool mint tea on a hot summer day. Rosemary and thyme, blueberries, anise, garlic, chives, rhubarb, violas and oregano offer a smorgasbord of tastes to the purveyor of the Taste Garden.
