Sensory Garden

Visit the Sensory Garden.

Plants in this garden have been selected with you in mind.

They’ve been chosen for their fragrance, colour, taste, texture and shape. Some are bold or subtle, zesty, spicy, papery, smooth, soft, prickly, rustly or crunchy.

Stay awhile, meditate using your senses one by one, and you’ll see more, hear more, smell more, feel more. Created to nurture wellbeing, the Sensory Garden is our newest garden. Come here to rest and be enlightened.

Notes from our team

“This is a really interesting garden to work in as it’s so new, so it’s very much a work in progress. I’m constantly shifting things around to find out what works best once we see how plants respond to the soil or aspect, which varies across the space.

I love watching people interact with the garden – touching foliage and flowers, kneeling to see if they smell, little kids running and hiding in the bamboo and making up stories.” Horticultural Curator, Sensory Garden. Listen to Sonica Botanica Episode 3 for more

Connecting to Country

This Collection is on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. As you explore the Gardens you will see four colours and four words in Woi-wurrung language on the signs to reflect the Traditional Owners’ connection to Country and this particular place. The word baan means water in Woi-wurrung and the signs in this area have blue highlights. 

Listen to Sonica Botanica

Hear about the sensorial effects of plants in Episode 3 of Sonica Botanica: Herb Garden, Fern Gully and Sensory Garden (24m 15s). Perfect to listen to through your headphones whilst wandering through these three living collections. 

Listen to Episode 3
View Sensory Garden on map