Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Room for the Senses in the Garden



Located next to the botanical garden just west of OSU in Stillwater is the new sensory garden. The main meeting "room" at the Oklahoma State sensory garden, pictured above, opens into a winding "hall" that leads us through five sensory rooms. The rooms are designed to be enjoyed particularly by individuals with disabilities.



Do you put the water feature in the room celebrating sound or touch? This pretty water cascade was located in the "sound" room.




The room celebrating taste includes a collection of berries and herbs. Visitors can taste test a few while resting on the wide stone walls. Their strawberry tower (below) is a pleasing structure to look at too.















Daughter (and OSU sophomore) Alli picked me up at the Gardening with Disabilities workshop on the OSU campus in her li'l white pick up truck, and went with me out to the garden tour. The gardens are west of Western, following the signs along a gravel road, across a low water bridge and past the greenhouses.

We hoped it might rain on us as we strolled the garden, since the sky was cloudy and threatening. But no such luck. Still dry. Although those clouds produced some pretty serious weather east of us, and on into the Carolinas where a string of tornadoes let loose. We were "lucky" I guess that we were on the west side of the dry line.

I love a garden tour. It's kind of like herding kindergartners, when you let a bunch of gardeners loose on the garden. Forget the leader trying to narrate and explain much. We're all too excitedly pointing and exclaiming in admiration.


Beautiful garden with new friends and a beautiful daughter. Doesn't get better than that.









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