Quaking Oat Grass pods

Touchy, Feel-y..... And Tasty? 

Many times we forget we have 5 senses; sight, smell, hearing, taste & touch. We garden for visual pleasure, the fragrance of flowers to delight our noses, birds for our auditory enjoyment and/or food for our bellies. We often forget however that touch is an important part of our world, especially when we were young. Kids reach for everything because they are initially tactile learners. Putting things in their mouth is another version of tactile learning (this is where a food garden would be awesome!)  However a sensory garden is not just for the sensory impaired or children...  I have a tendency to touch and smell just about any plant I come across. I do this because it helps imprint the plant in my brain; helps note any peculiarities that it may have in texture and smell. And yes, sometimes I taste them, but I am very careful and make sure I know what it is beforehand.

There are so many plants that have more qualities other than just “smelling good.” There are plants that are soft and fuzzy (Lamb’s Ears) some that rattle (Quaking Grass) and even sticky ones (Sage) that are safe for big or little fingers! You don’t have to change out your garden to incorporate tactile plants, just be cautious of where you incorporate them. If you are working with an existing bed, I recommend placing new plants in toward the front of the beds. That way you don’t have trampled plants and if you have some plants that can be less than friendly they won’t be a surprise to those fingers!

Even in winter, you can still have a tactile based garden. Not everything may go dormant but those that do, unless they have thorns, can be just as interesting. Bark is textured and may have color in it you didn’t notice when it is in leaf. Many have seed pods or dead flowers that have been left on that can be interesting.

Echeveria

You can use succulents. Note I said succulents, not cactus. The terms are often used interchangeably, but are different plants. You want to make sure you don’t use anything with spines, fingers of all sizes would be unhappy to have that encounter!  There are a variety of succulents that have smooth textures, rough ones, oddly shaped and there are even fuzzy ones! I would definitely monitor little hands with these as some are toxic if ingested and some have a sap that can cause a skin reaction.

Pond-less waterfall

Having a sensory garden doesn’t mean you have to be limited by plants. By all means, add wind chimes, bird baths, water fountains, pond or a pond-less waterfall to your tactile garden.  It adds another element and will attract birds, butterflies, moths, lizards to name a few. (Depending on where you live, maybe even rabbits, mice & coyotes so think it through!) If you have small children and don’t have to worry about the larger predators, I do recommend a pond-less waterfall. They are easy to maintain and since they don’t have any true depth, they can be safer for kids. You may need to replenish the gravel or rock in the “pond” area occasionally to keep it from getting any depth that may be dangerous. You can adjust these to be louder or softer, depending on the rock placement, the overhand of the waterfall and even the water pressure. More on that in another blog though!

Whether you intentionally plant a tactile garden, or realize that your current one is tactile they are enjoyable to many people on different levels. So go smell the roses, hug a tree and generally enjoy your garden space!

Suggested plants for a tactile garden:

 Lamb’s Ear – Stachys byzantia- furry leaves

Mint – Mentha (many varieties, check them all out…even chocolate!) Great smells, interesting and some familiar flavors

Quaking Grass – Briza maxima (Also known as Rattlesnake Grass due to its seed pods. They resemble the rattle on the rattlesnake.)

Fountain Grass – Pennisetum setaceum- soft “flowers” on the ends of the blades

Mexican Feather Grass – Nasella tenuissima – soft “flowers” on the ends of the blades

Lavender – Lavendula spp – Fragrant leaves on some, fragrant flowers on others. Slightly sticky plant overall but definitely not unpleasant

Nasturtium –Tropaeolum majus – Lightly grainy leaf, peppery smell and edible leaf and flower

Ferns – Just about any variety – some soft, some fairly stiff and others curly edged or smooth

Bush Strawflower – Bracteantha bracteata- flowers actually feel & sound like straw

Wooly Thyme – Thymus pseudolanuginosus – slightly fuzzy & smells good

Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare – Fronds are soft & airy feeling and they taste pretty good

Dill – Anthum graveolens – soft fronds and an good smell & taste

Marigold – Tagetes spp – strong earthy smell (one of my favorites!)

Kalanchoe behariensis –some are a bit fuzzy, some are smooth

Hens & Chicks – Sempervivum –smooth leave with just a bit of a point at the tip

Edible Sage – Salvia officinalis – slightly sticky with the sage smell and taste

Ornamental Sage – Salvia greggi, S. nemarosa, S. chamaedryoides, just to name a few!

 More sticky, smell of the leaf is pungent, some like it, others do not.

Alyssum -  Alyssum spp – small flower smells like honey

Philodendron – Philodendron selloum – large leaves, some with smooth texture, some with holes in the leave, some with ridges.

Chives – Allium schoenoprasum  - Same ones you can cook with, “blades” are smooth, the flower is a slightly fuzzy ball, and both blade & flower is edible

Calla Lily – Zantedeschia aethiopeca – Smooth petal with a pistil that is soft and pliable. Will leave pollen on your fingers

Gardenia – Gardenia jasminioides – smooth petals, great scent

Woolly Yarrow – Achillea tomentosa – leaves are slightly fuzzy, aromatic and flowers are an interesting texture

Elephant Ears – Alocasia – large smooth leave some with ridged veins, some with wavy edges

Basil – Ocimum basilicum – textured leaf, great smell, taste is strong, but good

Oregano – Origanum vulgare – small leaf, good scent and taste

Sweet Marjoram – Origanum marjorana – similar to oregano, bit of a different scent 

and taste

Rosemary –  Rosemary officinalis – strong upright texture, small cylindrical leaf and pungent aroma & taste

Chenille plant – Acalypha hispida – flower is an interesting long shape with a soft texture

Fuchsia – Fuchsia hybrid – Also known as Lady’s Earring – flowers are smooth, but with an interesting shape, some have a light fragrance

Fruit trees – I don’t recommend Citrus as many have thorns.

Strawberries – Fruit of course!

Blueberries – Again, the fruit!


Many of the berry vines have small thorns so I did not list them here. They can be used, just be cautious and use them more for sight & taste than touch.

Corn – The actual edible variety. The stalks grow tall, somewhat coarse, the rustle of the leaves and the feel of the corn itself is altogether interesting.

Bamboo – the plant’s leaves make an interesting sound and the bark is smooth

I DO NOT RECOMMEND TOMATOES. THEIR FOLIAGE CAN BE TOXIC TO ANIMALS (AND TO HUMANS IN LARGER QUANTITIES.) THEY ARE PART OF THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADE FAMILY