Brought to life by the Warrigal Bundanoon Ladies Auxiliary and the team at Warrigal, the garden project has been a wonderful example of a partnership designed to bring calm and colour to the lives of residents as well as their family and friends at the Bundanoon home.

“The sensory garden was designed by members of the Auxiliary who had careers in horticulture. How lucky Warrigal is to have such expertise help guide the formation of such a rich and colourful display of plant life,” Warrigal CEO, Mark Sewell said.

“Not only that, but it provides such a calming and relaxing space that can now be enjoyed by anyone visiting the home.”

Ladies Auxillary president and one of the horticulturalists who designed the garden, Wendy Johnston, said it had been a wonderful volunteer effort from everyone involved.

“Every element of the garden from the flowers to the seating has been thought out and chosen to provide a sensory experience for anyone coming to enjoy the garden,” she said.

“We’ve used plants that would remind people of their childhoods, which is an important aspect of the garden especially for those who are experiencing memory loss. It gives a chance to bring back some of the pleasure of a garden to those living here.

“For example we’ve used lavender to provide a familiar scent and we’ve also chosen roses without thorns to encourage the residents to feel them and experience their texture.

“Ms Johnston said they had used different textures through the garden to engage the senses.

The citrus tress were designed to bring flowers, fruit, perfume and taste into the courtyard