Sensory Garden for the Pacific Northwest

This low-maintenance garden is designed to soften the edges of an existing patio, plus provide a feast for the senses when you're sitting nearby. Each plant in the plan appeals to sight, hearing, smell or touch. Plus, you can tuck in an edible herb like basil or lemon balm in place of a few of the small grasses.

Many of the flowering plants bloom for long periods, and several offer fall and winter interest. A small tree provides shade, and shrubs offer a sense of enclosure. The grasses rustle as they're stirred by breezes. A butterfly house serves as a low-maintenance accent, but you can substitute a piece of sculpture or a solar-powered bubbler as a water feature.

The plan is easy to install. No hardscaping is involved, and the bed can be adapted to any shape patio edge. Here, the 6' x 28' bed is angled to fit around the corner of a rectangular patio, but you can curve it to frame a rounded edge or run it straight along one side. No patio? The sensory garden would also make a pleasant freestanding destination spot elsewhere in the yard.

No garden is completely maintenance-free, but this beautiful bed needs little. The plants won't need much water after the first season when they establish themselves. You'll have no deadheading to do and little to no pruning. The groundcovers will weave together to form a mat that will reduce weeds. The planting list specifies natives, which usually are disease- and insect-resistant and aren't invasive; if you substitute a non-native plant, be sure it's not invasive, and to keep your garden low-maintenance, choose those that are resistant to pests.

See next page for the plan