The
Story
Gardens have long been enjoyed as places to relax, but AUT research has confirmed that gardening can be a powerful force for our mental wellbeing.
The Sensory garden was first created at a scholarly project at AUT. Gayle’s PhD looked at whether it was possible to create a public health tool using ecologically sensitive landscape architecture.
Gayle created a sensory garden and compared it with a planted plaza space of the same size at the university to study how people’s wellbeing was affected by different types of environment in a randomised controlled trial.
The sensory garden was designed to be full of life. This nature-rich 900 sqm space became full of birdlife, colour and fragrance and offeres visitors many ways to interact with it.
Sensory Garden
Also known as the Scholars' Garden, the Sensory Garden provides a haven for visitors to relax and rejuvenate.
Located between the library and AJ block of AUT North campus.
Student projects
This garden is a space for ongoing student projects. Students from Lifestyle Nutrition are given the opportunity to rejuvenate the planter boxes with herbs to be incorporated into recipes or herbal tea.
"We wanted to establish a warm and welcoming green area for students to potentially study and relax in. Additionally, we added various herbs to the garden for students to pick and use at their leisure to further promote the garden." Students from Lifestyle Nutrition, 2023
From the garden
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) has a strong lemony scent and has been proven to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and stress when brewed as a tea.
Leaves and stalks can be used fresh or dried, add freshly boiled water and brew for 2 minutes.
Relax and enjoy.
