Dreaming of a Sensory Garden

What I love most about gardening is that there’s always another season ahead. Winter is the perfect time to dream and plan for all the things that will grow in the coming months.

I find myself dreaming of a “sensory garden.”

A sensory garden is more than just something to look at—it’s meant to be experienced. It’s about plants you want to touch as you walk by, scents that catch your attention on a warm evening, and textures that shine in the evening light.

If you are staring out at a frozen landscape right now, this is the perfect time to start planning an immersive experience for next summer. And the best part? Some of the most incredible sensory plants are easy and inexpensive to start from seed right now.

As a flower farmer, I sometimes get caught up in sales, color palettes, and trends. But when I remember why I started, I see that gardening and flower farming are about much more than business. I do this for myself and my family, so we can learn, grow, and share skills that last a lifetime. A sensory garden gives my family something to experience this summer, without the worries or stress of production, quality, or being accidentally pulled out of the ground by my two-year-old. 

Here are my top picks from Johnny’s Seeds that will wake up your senses of touch, smell, and sight.

The Sense of Touch:

We gardeners always have our hands in the dirt, but it’s easy to forget to create spaces meant for touching. This matters even more when you have young children. These plants bring wonderful textures to the garden and make bouquets more interesting.

Bunny Tails Grass (Lagurus ovatus)

If you have kids or just want something to make you smile, try growing Bunny Tails. These ornamental grasses have fluffy, cream-colored puffs at the ends of thin stems. They really do feel as soft as rabbit fur.

• The Farm Perspective: They dry beautifully for everlasting wreaths, but in the garden, they dance in the slightest breeze and beg to be petted.

• Seed Starting Tip: Bunny Tails are easy to start indoors. Press the seeds into the soil surface without covering them, since they need light to sprout. They grow fast!

Link to Seed Purchase

Celosia, specifically the ‘Cockscomb’ or ‘Brain’ types

Plume celosia is soft and feathery, but the crested types look like velvet, coral reefs, or even colorful brains. They’re sturdy and have a dense, velvety feel that’s both strange and delightful to touch.

• The Farm Perspective: These are focal points in funky, textural arrangements. They hold up incredibly well out of water, too.

• Seed Starting Tip: Celosia doesn’t like cold soil. Start seeds indoors on a heat mat and wait until all danger of frost is past before moving them outside. They love warmth.

Link to Seed Purchase

The Sense of Smell

Smell is one of the strongest triggers for memories. A great garden should have a scent. Sharing fragrant bouquets with your children and others can create lasting memories and connections.

Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus)

Sweet peas are one of my all-time favorite flowers. They’re delicate climbing annuals with tendrils and ruffled, papery blooms. No sensory garden is complete without them. Their scent is nostalgic, sweet, and complex, like orange blossom and honey. Even a small patch by your patio door can fill your house with fragrance on a breeze.

• The Farm Perspective: Sweet peas are among the best-smelling flowers, but they do require extra work for trellising and regular picking. My bunnies also enjoy snacking on them.

• Seed Starting Tip: I’ve tried several methods for starting sweet peas. Since they have long taproots, use pots at least 6 inches deep. They sprout best in cool temperatures, around 50-60 degrees, and do better if kept cool as they grow. This year, I’ll start them outside with my other winter-sown crops, letting the freeze-thaw cycles help with germination. Even if the plants look small above ground, they’re busy growing strong roots below.

Link to Seed Purchase

Stock (Matthiola incana)

Stock flowers have a strong, clove-like scent and grow in upright spikes with clusters of small, ruffled blooms above cabbage-like leaves. They look elegant and smell amazing.

• The Farm Perspective: These are a premium early-season crop for us. One stem can scent an entire room.

• Seed Starting Tip: Stock can be tricky because some plants produce double flowers (the showy ones), while others produce single flowers. Look for varieties labeled as “selectable.” If you’re new to growing stock, consider buying plugs instead of starting from seed.

Link to Seed Purchase

Link to Plug Purchase

The Sense of Sight

Of course, flowers are beautiful to look at. But in a sensory garden, you want more than just color—you want movement, unique shapes, and plants that catch the light in special ways.

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena)

Nigella is a triple threat. Its flowers come in jewel-toned blues and whites, surrounded by misty, fern-like leaves. After the petals fall, the striped, balloon-like seed pods are just as striking as the blooms.

• The Farm Perspective: We use the flowers in early summer and harvest the pods heavily for autumn textural work.

• Seed Starting Tip: Nigella has a long taproot and doesn’t like being transplanted. You can start them indoors in deep trays, but they usually do best when sown directly into the garden as soon as the soil is workable in spring.

Link to Seed Purchase

Amaranth (specifically drooping varieties like ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’)

Trailing amaranth forms long, rope-like clusters of tiny flowers in vivid red or green that dangle toward the ground. The thick, chenille-textured strands create dramatic visual movement and add a bold, architectural aspect to the garden.

• The Farm Perspective: These tall plants give the garden a secret, magical feel and add dramatic cascades to flower arrangements.

• Seed Starting Tip: Amaranth seeds are tiny, so sprinkle them lightly on the soil surface indoors. They need warmth to sprout, but once summer arrives, they grow fast and big.

Link to Seed Purchase

Dreaming in the Dead of Winter

While the snow piles up outside, I’ll be in the grow room, caring for these tiny seeds. There’s something hopeful about holding a dry, brown seed in January and knowing that by July, it could become a soft flower to touch, a sweet scent in the air, or a tall, beautiful plant in the garden.

Pick up a seed catalog, turn off the news, and start planning a garden that will delight your senses. Take the next step: order some seeds, sketch out your spaces, or get your family involved in the planning. It is time to dream. Connecting with nature, even in winter, can bring hope, happiness, and purpose to a season that can feel long. Start today, and look forward to a garden that will inspire you all year.