Getting a feel for plants

THE fragrance and feel of the plants in the special ‘Sensory Garden’ at the Rhododendron Gardens recently gave some vision-impaired visitors an amazing spring experience.
The group made their way along rows of fragrant and tactile plants, smelling and feeling lavender, jasmine, lemon verbena, rosemary, mountain pepperberry, woolly bush, native mint, giant honey flower bush and many more.
Group member Janine Lord said it was an incredible walk.
“We at Blind Sports really appreciate and enjoy experiencing nature in parks and gardens,” she said.
“Thanks to the helpful Parks Victoria staff, we had the chance to discover the smells and textures of a wonderful variety of plants.
“I especially loved the feel of the woolly bush, and the scent of the lemon verbena.”
The Sensory Garden was first planted in 2008 and has been continually expanding and evolving since then.
It now has around 100 plants which have been chosen for their strong scents and interesting textures.
The garden has been designed to be accessible to all ages and levels of mobility and is very popular with children for its variety of scented plants.
Parks Victoria Horticultural Ranger Tex Moon, who accompanied the group, said it was a fantastic initiative.
“We want people to come and smell the flowers, feel the foliage, listen to nature and discover the beauty and diversity of plants,” Tex said.
“Getting up close and personal to nature in this way makes people feel good both physically and mentally, and it’s a great example of our Healthy Parks Healthy People philosophy.”
The group’s visit was organised through the Walk in the Park Program, a community partnership program between Parks Victoria and Blind Sports Victoria.