Your support financially and volunteering are appreciated, and as you enjoy the gardens, please be careful in the work areas. We are all volunteers and there are many tasks to be addressed.
The Five Senses Gardens
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
-- John Burroughs
A one-of-a-kind sensory experience started on the Capital Area Greenbelt in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1996 ... The Five Senses Gardens has held its ground
(and flowers and wildlife) despite torrential floods and environmental
adversity, with help from volunteers and the skillful hands of its
groundskeepers.
Like the butterflies drawn to the variety of plants in each of the gardens, visitors
flock to The Gardens to experience the natural sensations, carefully
cultivated to challenge the five senses. An intense, personal connection
with nature has prompted some visitors to utilize The Five Senses Gardens as
a site for vow exchanges or as a final resting place for ashes of beloved
family members.
The miracle of nature fosters a sense of peace and tranquility that has led
to therapeutic relief and wonderment for all ages.
Click on each photo for a second photo!
The Labyrinth
"The dawn of all things real is breaking o'er me, my heart is singing: I have found the way." -- Violet Hay
The path begins near the cat, and ends at the benches. So near, follow the flat stones, and at the benches "think on these things."
The Sight Garden
"The soul that can speak with its eyes can also kiss with a gaze" -- Author Unknown
Sight is a dominant sense in any botanical experience. The Five Senses Gardens offer a palette of colorful plants and flowers, unique to every season. The mostly blue blossoms of Balloon Flowers, Russian Sage and Verbena, the Red Hot Pokers, Solomon's Seal and Jacob's Ladder are featured in the Sight Garden. Ornamental grasses, such as the low growing Blue Oat and 20-foot Gigante grass offer striking contrasts.
The Touch Garden
"The skin knows nothing but feels everything" -- Montagu Don
The tactility of plant life is easily overlooked in our aesthetically driven
world. The extreme differences in textures of plant surfaces offers surprises
to the purveyor of the Touch Garden. From the Yellow Cactus to the soft Lamb's Ear,
many textures are to be enjoyed. Scotch Broom and Mediterranean Heather are not
too far from the prickly Hops and the feathery Yarrow. Smooth stones,
worn by the elements of nature slip quickly through your fingers.
The Sound Garden
"There is always music amongst the trees in the garden,
but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it." -- Minnie Aumonier
The symphony of bird songs include solos of flickers, bluebirds, grouse, white
egrets and a variety of woodpeckers. An ensemble of warblers plus
the talented solos of cardinals, robins and juncos create a natural harmony. The
sound of high grasses as the wind blows . . . the crackling of autumn leaves under
one's feet ... the babbling of water in the creek are all music in nature's symphony.
Click on each photo for a second photo.
The Smell Garden
"Perfumes are the feelings of flowers." -- Heinrich Heine
Rich fragrances abound within The Five Senses Gardens as the flowers emit nature's perfumes. The subtle aromas of this create a natural olfactory experience for visitors. The musty smells of cultivating the earth are prevalent as each season requires specialized plantings to provide visitors with a scented journey through nature.
The vanilla aroma of clethra, the delicate scents of sweet allysum, lavender,
monarda, honeysuckle, lily of the valley and sweet annie blend into smells that may haunt us.
The Taste Garden
"The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown
is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth." --
Frances Moore Lappé
The sweet burst of taste in a mint leaf has a surprising effect in one's mouth, perhaps reminiscent of Grandmother's cool mint tea on a hot summer day.
Rosemary and thyme, blueberries, anise, garlic, chives, rhubarb,
violas and oregano offer a smorgasbord of tastes to the purveyor
of the Taste Garden.
Hours and FREE Tour Information
Open Sunrise to Sunset Daily including holidays. Free Tours are held by appointment. Call Al Saxton 717-652-3336 or email: jasaxton@comcast.net
To Volunteer
Volunteers are always welcomed! To help maintain these gardens please contact Al Saxton 717-652-3336 or email: jasaxton@comcast.net
Directions:
From Harrisburg, take Interstate 83 North to Exit 45 (Paxtang Street, Harrisburg Mall). From the exit, go to the traffic light and turn left. Go straight to second traffic light, Mall Road and turn right. Go past the Dauphin County Prison on the right. At the stop sign, turn right. The Five Senses Gardens will be visible on the right as you cross the bridge over Spring Creek. The Five Senses Gardens entrance is 100 yards from the bridge. Free Greenbelt parking for the Gardens is available across Route 441 as designated by signs.
