At its February 27 meeting, Huntsville council directed staff to enter into an agreement with the Rotary Club of North Muskoka for the establishment of a sensory garden at Riverside Park (east of the swing bridge) along the shores of the Muskoka River.
Rotary will create, fund, and maintain the garden.
The garden, which would follow the riverside edge of the park, would include a wheelchair-accessible path that would pass five small planters or mounds, each with a different sensory experience. A barefoot sensory walking path and two benches are also part of the design.
The scent garden would include fragrant species like lavender and lemon balm. The sight garden would include plants with unique visual appeal, like allium, astilbe, and hens and chicks. The texture garden would contain touchable plants each with a different feel like lamb’s ear and lady’s mantles. Edible herbs and plants like chives, rosemary, and rhubarb are proposed for the taste garden. And finally, a native plant and pollinator garden would contribute both visual appeal and staggered blooms throughout the growing season to attract bees and butterflies with plants like prairie bloom, bee balm, butterfly milkweed, and coneflower.
The barefoot sensory path would include several two-foot by two-foot sections of varying textures—like wood, grass, and smooth stones—to stimulate nerve endings in the feet.
Interpretive signs would explain what each garden is, why native plants and pollinators are important, and what the benefits of the barefoot sensory path are.
Municipal staff will work with the Club to help create the garden until the plans have matured. Council heard that there’ll be less maintenance involved for staff as frequent mowing will not be required.
Councillor Dione Schumacher said the sensory garden would enhance the community and Councillor Scott Morrison spoke to the mental health benefits of such a garden.
It was Cara Schiedel of the Rotary Club of North Muskoka and her work as a speech-language pathologist that sparked the idea.
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Bess Coleman says
Great idea! I’m looking forward to it. My feet, my nose, my fingers and my eyes will all enjoy it!