Master Gardeners Sensory Garden

Construction began on the Surry County Master Gardeners Sensory Garden on Thursday, December 5 at the Historic Courthouse in Dobson. The Surry County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener organization, Parks and Recreation Department and Lowes of Elkin have partnered on the unique garden project.

The Sensory Garden will provide a destination for enjoyment and learning for adults and youth who need sensory therapy, including individuals who struggle with PTSD, Autism, Alzheimer’s, Dementia and other behavioral disorders, as well as those who have limited mobility. The Sensory Garden is funded by Lowes and is a Lowe’s Heroes Project, which is a volunteer program where Lowes employees strive to make a difference in the community. Materials will cost $1,600 and the estimated labor cost is $1,200. The garden will be wheelchair accessible and feature a paver walkway with lights, musical instruments, textures throughout, arbor and fencing with flowering vines, bedding plants and eye-catching “yart” (yard art).

The paver walkway, wooden fence and wooden terrace were constructed on December 5. Plants, flowers and other materials will be added in Spring 2020.

In addition to the Sensory Garden, the Surry County Master Gardener Volunteers have begun additional landscaping at the Historic Courthouse.  Their goal is to have educational opportunities for all Surry County residents to learn about planting native species to attract pollinators, as well as planting edibles for sustainability. There will also be a Memorial Garden planted around the War Monuments to commemorate those who have served our country; the Master Gardeners also worked on this project December 5. The Master Gardener Volunteers look forward to growing this project for the enjoyment of all Surry County residents.

Below are photos from December 5:
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Project Rendering

For more information about the Surry County Master Gardeners, log onto https://surry.ces.ncsu.edu/