On Saturday my landlady Catherine and her father took me to Delta Sensory Gardens. Located in the quaint town of Carlow Delta Sensory Gardens is a learning garden open to the public and has a center for adults with intellectual disabilities. Covering 2.5 acres the garden is broken up into 20 different areas, each exploring a different part of the senses. Highly maintained beds and flowers, unique sculptures and statues, and water sections are just a few area the gardens highlight. From the brochure cover, "An oasis of peace and tranquility" and it truly is. Lets take a look at what I saw.  

Flowers

The garden has great color all year as the flowers come into bloom and fade out. Pinks, purples, white, red, and yellow name a few of the colors seen in the garden as we walked around.

Being a turf student I did not have to learn my horticulture plants, but  growing up I worked in my mothers flowers beds doing maintenance so I basic understanding of what goes into the care of horticulture plants. Many golf courses have the course superintendent in charge of the flowers and beds due to no horticulture department. While turf people take this in stride, it is always good to get acquainted with the plants that you will be working with. How to care for them, maintenance procedures, and nutritional requirements are some areas that need to be researched in order for the plants to survive.

Water

Another feature of the garden is water. In many places water was present, in a pond or just a stream of water, but it is there. For the sensory part of the garden the water brings about a peace that drowns out the outside and calms one down.

Sculptures

People have been putting ornaments and figurines in gardens for a long time. It was no surprise to find many of these spread about the garden. There is even one garden devoted just to sculptures. They are displayed with some creativity and fun. 

Along with the sculptures is a games garden in life size to stimulate the brain and mind. 

Manipulating Plants

Plants are changed and fooled into growing differently than they would normally through intense horticultural practices. Most know are shrubs that are shaped to be hedges or boarders for yards. These shrubs were prominent throughout, but the most interesting change of a plant's growth I saw was bamboo used a a living structure.

Five Senses Garden

A garden built to stimulate all of the five senses. In the garden you can obviously use sight to see the different plants. You can smell the scent of lavender and nacreous. Hear the quiet of the garden as the plants take in outside noise. By eating vegetables, fruits and herbs you get to taste. The Kugal, a large round marble stone, is available to touch and feel the power within, but also have the ability to move a large object with only one finger. 

Musical Fountain

Finally the power of music and water is seen in a captivating water show. Listening to the relaxing music and hearing the calming sound of the water fountain makes for a peaceful show.