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An assault on the senses
helipad | www.daat.org
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ul a s s An a he t n o
... s e s sen
As a professional gardener, I often get engrossed in the busy daily schedules, routine work and the many distractions that occur as I beaver away. It is easy to forget to take a moment or two every now and then to stop, look, listen and feel your surroundings.
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garden, regardless of its size and complexity is a Feeling the soft, velvety leaves of a Stachys byzantina ‘Silver wonderful assault on the senses and for me, to smell the Carpet’ or simply walking barefoot across a grassy area rarely daphne, listen to the song thrush, see the first spring bulbs fails to add to the glory and feel of a garden. emerge and have a sneaky tree hug is a valuable and hugely Fragrance in a garden is arguably top of most gardening beneficial “golden” moment. wish lists and if I were asked for four plants which have the Multi-sensory designed gardens are becoming more popular ability to provide a year-round supply of heady scent, it would and will often be found at schools, hospitals and residential be the following great performers: Sarcococca hookeriana homes, providing a stimulating and beneficial environment var. digyna for the winter, Viburnum × burkwoodii taking you inviting users to sit safely and through spring, Abelia × grandiflora serenely or actively interact with supplying waves of summer scent “ There is little doubt of the particular features to generate a and Elaeagnus × submacrophylla impact that the sight of a well sensory response. ‘Compacta’ as a sound choice for Additions to your garden need not assembled garden can have at autumn. be expensive or complicated and There is little doubt of the impact any time of year. ” can create a personal sensory idyll that the sight of a well assembled for you to lose yourself in. garden can have at any time of The breeze passing through grasses such as the compact year. It is a very personal thing how your garden is put together, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Starlight’ or Molinia caerulea subsp. but combining colour, texture, shape and height to form a green arundinacea ‘Karl Foerster’, rattling bamboo stems together or space for yourself is hugely satisfying and a feast for the eyes. the sound of bees and birds attracted by nectar rich plants are a It is often the smallest things that give the greatest pleasure, treat for your ears. such as the sun casting across the bark of a tree highlighting
