OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENSOKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS

SENSORY GARDENSProject UpdateProject Update

July 31, 2009Oklahoma Developmental Disability Council

Okl h Cit OKOklahoma City, OK

Michael SchnelleProfessor and Extension Specialist

Michael HolmesAssistant Professor p

Ornamental HorticultureOK State University

Landscape ArchitectureOK State University

Project TimelineProject Timeline

Year OneYear OneSeeking Input --- “listening to the experts”DesigngImplementation (Phase 1)

Year TwoImplementation (Phase 2)

Year ThreeWorkshop “Train the Trainer” Factsheets

Looking AheadOn-going Educational Programs

Location : OSU Botanical Garden

OSU Botanical GardenOSU Botanical Garden

Current > 10,000 annual visitors

Goal > 100,000 annual visitors

Sensory Garden

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

• Faculty and staff in the D t t f H ti lt dDepartment of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture have a unique blend of interests/ backgrounds that favorbackgrounds that favor horticultural therapy projects

• ODDC personnel recognized our faculty/staff’s past successes via horticultural therapy workshops and related endeavors

HORTICULTURE AND L A OUTREACH/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 pexperiences for seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, and tasting

• Regardless of the designer’s g ginterpretation of what a sensory garden really is, the expectation is that the garden will be accessible and designed for universal enjoymentj y

• More and more attention is being paid to making an area or two of the garden g genjoyable 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 ProgramSENSORY GARDEN: Site Program

Total Garden: 4,000 sq ftRaised Beds: 300 lin ftPlanting Area: 2,500 sq ftHardscape: 1,500 sq ft

1 Large Gathering Space5 Sensory Rooms5 Sensory Rooms

Overall PlanOverall Plan

Gathering Room

Overall PlanOverall Plan

TouchTaste

Si ht S llGathering Room

SoundSight Smell

Raised Planting BedsRaised Planting Beds

ADA Accessibility Guidelines

Planting PlanPlanting Plan

Planting PlanPlanting Plan

Irrigation PlanIrrigation Plan

Interpretive Signage (Year 1)Interpretive Signage (Year 1)

Braille Sign

Project TimelineProject Timeline

• Year TwoYear Two– Implementation (Phase 2)

• Hardscape Walkways (not funded in ODDC grant)• Hardscape Walkways (not funded in ODDC grant)• Interpretive Signage• Interactive Programmatic Elementsg• Shade Structures • Benches

Interpretive Signage (Year 2)Interpretive Signage (Year 2)

• ADA Accessibility GuidelinesADA Accessibility Guidelines• Accessible Raised Planting Beds• Horticultural TherapyHorticultural Therapy

Project TimelineProject Timeline

• Year ThreeYear Three– Workshop “Train the Trainer”

Factsheet– Factsheet

• Looking Ahead– On-going Educational Programs

SENSORY GARDENS

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

• The gardens will be designed primarily for lf id d tself-guided tours.

• Throughout the garden there will be educational signage as well as interactive

ti di lprogrammatic displays

• On-site educational programs and workshops will be occasionally provided