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OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS

SENSORY GARDENS
Project Update

July 31, 2009 Oklahoma Developmental Disability Council Oklahoma Cit OK Okl h City, Michael Schnelle
Professor and Extension Specialist p Ornamental Horticulture OK State University

Michael Holmes
Assistant Professor Landscape Architecture OK State University

Project Timeline
Year One
Seeking Input --- listening to the experts Design g Implementation (Phase 1)

Year Two
Implementation (Phase 2)

Year Three
Workshop Train the Trainer Factsheets

Looking Ahead
On-going Educational Programs

Location : OSU Botanical Garden

OSU Botanical Garden


Current > 10,000 annual visitors Goal > 100,000 annual visitors

Sensory Garden

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Faculty and staff in the Department of Horticulture and D t t f H ti lt d Landscape Architecture have a unique blend of interests/ backgrounds that favor horticultural therapy projects

ODDC personnel recognized our faculty/staffs past successes via horticultural therapy workshops and related endeavors

HORTICULTURE AND L.A. L A OUTREACH/ EDUCATION


Horticultural therapy workshops Youth-oriented events General public

WHAT IS A SENSORY GARDEN?


Plants and other design elements are selected with intention to provide p experiences for seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, and tasting Regardless of the designers g g interpretation of what a sensory garden really is, the expectation is that the garden will be accessible and designed for universal enjoyment j y

More and more attention is being paid to making an area or two of the g g garden enjoyable to everyone, regardless of what the condition of their sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, or mobility might be

SENSORY GARDENS
USERS We anticipate a diversity of users ranging in age and developmental and intellectual abilities.

SENSORY GARDEN: Site Program

Total Garden: 4,000 sq ft Raised Beds: 300 lin ft Planting Area: 2,500 sq ft Hardscape: 1,500 sq ft

1 Large Gathering Space 5 Sensory Rooms

Overall Plan

Gathering Room

Overall Plan

Taste

Touch

Gathering Room Sight Si ht Smell S ll Sound

Raised Planting Beds


ADA Accessibility Guidelines

Planting Plan

Planting Plan

Irrigation Plan

Interpretive Signage (Year 1)

Braille Sign

Project Timeline
Year Two
Implementation (Phase 2)
Hardscape Walkways (not funded in ODDC grant) Interpretive Signage Interactive Programmatic Elements g Shade Structures Benches

Interpretive Signage (Year 2)


ADA Accessibility Guidelines Accessible Raised Planting Beds Horticultural Therapy

Project Timeline
Year Three
Workshop Train the Trainer Factsheet

Looking Ahead
On-going Educational Programs

SENSORY GARDENS
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The gardens will be designed primarily for self-guided t lf id d tours. Throughout the garden there will be educational signage as well as interactive programmatic di l ti displays On-site educational programs and workshops will be occasionally provided

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