Best Sensory Garden Plants for Schools: Engaging All Five Senses

The best sensory plants for school playgrounds encourage children to explore through sight, sound, smell, touch and, where appropriate, taste.

A successful sensory garden should combine soft foliage, fragrant herbs, moving grasses, colourful flowers and supervised edible plants. It does not need to be large, a few carefully selected plants can create a meaningful and engaging space.

Plants for Touch:

Lamb’s Ear

Lamb’s ear is one of the best tactile plants for school sensory gardens. Its soft, woolly leaves are easy to reach and provide a clear contrast to smoother foliage.

Plant it in spring in a sunny, well-drained position. It works particularly well at the front of a raised planter or alongside an accessible path.

Nasturtium

The smooth, rounded leaves of nasturtiums provide a completely different tactile experience. Their large seeds are also easy for children to handle during supervised planting activities.

Sow outside from March to May in a sunny bed or container.

Plants for Smell:

Lavender

Lavender combines a familiar fragrance with purple flowers and soft, silvery foliage. Position it close enough to a path for children to smell, without placing it directly beside a busy running route.

Plant lavender during spring in a sunny location with well-drained soil.

Mint

Mint releases a strong fragrance when its leaves are gently rubbed. Different varieties can introduce scents including peppermint, apple, chocolate and pineapple.

Plant mint in spring or autumn. Always keep it in a container to prevent it from spreading throughout the planting area.

Plants for Sound and Movement:

Quaking Grass

Quaking grass has delicate, hanging seedheads that move, shake and create a gentle sound in the wind. It adds movement without dominating a smaller sensory garden.

Sow quaking grass in spring or autumn in a sunny, well-drained position.

Miscanthus

Miscanthus produces tall, arching leaves and soft flower tassels that rustle in the breeze. Choose a compact variety for school grounds and position it slightly behind lower planting, away from narrow paths and running routes.

Miscanthus is best planted in late spring.

Plants for Sight:

Sunflowers

Sunflowers provide bold colour, changing height and an opportunity for children to observe growth throughout the season. Their flower heads can also attract birds and other wildlife.

Sow sunflower seeds from mid-April to the end of May. Compact varieties are often more manageable in school playgrounds.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums produce vivid red, orange and yellow flowers from summer into autumn. Their rounded leaves and trailing growth also introduce interesting shapes.

They work particularly well in low containers, raised beds or planters where children can see them closely.

Plants for Taste:

Taste should only form part of a school sensory garden where supervision, allergies and school policies allow.

Strawberries

Strawberries provide colour, fragrance, texture and taste. Growing them also helps children understand where food comes from and how plants change through the seasons.

Plant strawberries in spring, late summer or early autumn. Raised containers can make the fruit easier to reach and help keep the growing area clearly defined.

Mint and Nasturtiums

Mint leaves and nasturtium flowers are edible, but tasting should only take place as part of a planned and supervised activity. Edible plants should be clearly labelled, washed before use and kept separate from general playground planting.

When Is the Best Time to Create a School Sensory Garden?

For most UK schools, spring is the easiest time to complete the main planting. The soil is beginning to warm and plants have time to establish before winter.

Seeds such as sunflowers, nasturtiums and quaking grass can be sown during the spring term. Strawberries and some hardy plants can also be planted during early autumn.

Planning the space during autumn and winter allows the ground, access, planters and wider playground design to be prepared for spring planting.

What Should Schools Consider?

• Include more than one sense rather than relying entirely on fragrance.

• Create separate sensory areas so children can choose how they engage.

• Avoid overcrowding the space or creating sensory overload.

• Choose robust plants that suit the available sunlight, soil and drainage.

• Avoid thorns, sharp foliage and potentially harmful plants.

• Consider allergies, pollinators and children who may mouth or eat plants.

• Position plants within comfortable reach from seated and standing positions.

• Keep routes firm, accessible and free from overhanging growth.

• Allow for watering, pruning and seasonal maintenance.

• Wash hands after touching plants and supervise all tasting activities.

  
  

Plants Are Only One Part of a Sensory Playground

A truly effective sensory playground can also include textured surfacing, musical play panels, sand and water play, natural materials, movement equipment, tactile features and quieter spaces for regulation.

Absolute Play designs inclusive school playgrounds and SEND outdoor spaces around the needs of the children, the available space and the school’s budget. We can combine sensory planting zones with accessible equipment, surfacing and quiet spaces to create one joined-up, outcome-led scheme.

Planning a sensory playground or SEND outdoor space?

Book a free playground consultation or contact Absolute Play to discuss your project.