Sedlescombe School Sensory Garden

A previously grassed area with a steeply sided slope, a small seating circle and a willow tree was transformed into a sensory garden. Drought tolerant Mediterranean plants and grasses provide scent, colour and contrasting textures in the garden, with tall perennials and grasses bringing dynamic changes of height over the course of the year. Children will be able to enjoy outside lessons in the summer months seated beneath a shade sail in clearings within the gravel garden planting.

It is a wonderful resource helping children to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, learn to nurture living things and develop an interest in horticulture that could last a lifetime. Designed, built and maintained by Kristina Clode Garden Design with help from parents from the school, the Sensory Garden was a totally voluntary project. Every child at the school planted a plant in the garden and laid a stone to mark out the pathways.

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This garden won the prestigious 'Judges' Award' and 'Design for the Environment' Award at  Society of Garden Designers 2021 Awards, and was also shortlisted for the 'Healing, Learning & Community Garden' and the 'Planting Design' categories. Head Judge Richard Sneesby made a very moving speech about the garden, describing it as 'extraordinary', as well as 'generous, beautiful, stimulating, creative, all the things that you want a garden to be'. He went on to say 'it possibly sets a new high bar for school grounds in the future' and that if it went on to inspire other school gardens and proper funding for them 'it might be the most important Judges' Award we've given in the last 10 years'. You can watch his speech by clicking play on the video below. You can also read his full speech on my news blog.

It was opened in December 2017 by Fergus Garrett, Head gardener of Great Dixter, and has been featured in the 'Garden Design Journal' December 2018.

WHAT

Sensory Garden

WHERE

Sedlescombe, East Sussex

WHEN

Autumn 2017