Sensory plants

Plants for all five senses

Try a few plants from each of the groups below. Why not encourage your children to describe in words and pictures the sights, smells, textures and tastes that these wonderful plants bring?

Sight

Children love bright colours and these eye-catching flowers and leaves are sure to be popular. They also make great subjects for drawings and paintings.

1. Sunflowers, Helianthus annuus; a bright, bold-looking flower that can grow up to 30cm (1ft) in height in a week!
2. Pot marigold, Calendula; bright orange daisies that are easy to grow from seed.
3. Chameleon plant, Houttuynia cordata; amazing three-toned foliage that smells of lemon.
4. Swiss chard 'Bright Lights'; the brightly-coloured stems and foliage of this unusual vegetable are as tasty as they are beautiful.
5. Heuchera 'Chocolate Ruffles'; purple leaves with chocolate-coloured undersides and pretty, pale pink flowers.

Sound

Sit in your garden and encourage your children to listen to all the sounds of nature around you: the bees buzzing, the birds singing and the sound of the wind rustling the plants.

1. Greater quaking grass, Briza maxima; an annual grass whose nodding flowers rustle in the wind
2. Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena; bright blue flowers which form puffy seed-heads that rattle when shaken.
3. Miscanthus oligostachyus 'Nanus Variegatus'; pretty bamboo-like foliage, striped yellow and cream, that creates a rustling noise.
4. Sweet corn; another rustler and good to eat too!
5. Bamboo, Phyllostachys; pretty foliage that whispers in the wind while its stems knock together, creating a hollow sound. Larger bamboo canes are great for making wind chimes with.

Touch

Leaves vary between plants; from rough to smooth, furry to spiky. Get your children to touch these plants and describe what they feel like. You can also explain to them that every texture has a purpose. For instance, furry leaves protect the plants from extremes of hot and cold weather, succulent ones help to store water and sharp spines stop the plants from being eaten by hungry insects.

1. Lamb's ears, Stachys byzantina; it's easy to see how this plant got its common name when you touch the silky foliage.
2. Silver sage, Salvia argentea; a cotton wool-like down covers its large, silvery-white leaves.
3. Jerusalem sage, Phlomis fruticosa; soft, downy leaves and stems with pretty yellow flowers.
4. Houseleek, Sempervivum 'Commander Hay'; a rosette-forming succulent that produces flowers on long stems. Leaves are rigid to the touch.
5. African sundew, Drosera capensis; meat-eating plant that catches its prey using a glue-like substance on the surface of its leaves - watch out, it's sticky to touch!

Smell

The heady fragrances given off by flowers and leaves are wonderful to enjoy in our gardens. The smells often have a purpose too, such as attracting insects to the flowers or deterring pests from eating leaves. See if your children can recognise a few of the more common smells below.

1. Curry plant, Helichrysum italicum; curry-scented leaves give off a spicy aroma on a warm, sunny day.
2. Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'; the classic scent of an summer garden. Cut and dry the flowers for use indoors.
3. Chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus; beautiful deep red flowers that give off a chocolate/vanilla scent - bound to be a hit with the children.
4. Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus; pretty flowering climber that gives off a strong sweet scent. Cut the flowers regularly to encourage more growth.
5. Heuchera 'Chocolate Ruffles'; purple leaves with chocolate-coloured undersides and pretty, pale pink flowers.

Taste

There are so many delicious plants that it's difficult to choose just a few. As most gardeners know, our fruits, vegetables and herbs are not only tasty to us - animals and insects love them too! Many plants have great tasting fruits to attract animals to eat them and disperse their seeds for them.

1. Spearmint, Mentha spicata; a vigorous growing herb that tastes great with peas or new potatoes!
2. Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis; highly fragrant leaves, used to flavour meat and fish. Plant it in a place where people will brush by and release its scent.
3. Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus; it's possible to make a colourful salad from the beautiful, peppery orange, red or yellow flowers of the nasturtium, as well as its foliage.
4. Chives, Allium schoenoprasum; as well as having delicious foliage that can be used in salads, this plant also produces pretty flowers in pink, mauve or purple.
5. Wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca; children will love hunting for the small, sweet, delicious fruit.