AI Landscape Design

Sensory Garden Ideas, Tried on a Photo of Your Yard

Upload a photo of your yard below and describe the sensory garden you want. Our AI returns the same view with it drawn in, so you can see the layout before you build or plant.

Free sign-up with email or Google. You get 1 free render; free renders are watermarked.

A sensory garden is planted for scent, touch, sound, sight and taste, not only for looks. Below: two before and after examples, what to put in each part, how wide paths and beds should be, and what the AI cannot tell you.

More renders come with a paid plan (see pricing).

Want a garden mainly for bees and butterflies? See our butterfly garden ideas page.

Before and after examples

In each pair, the left image was generated by AI as a stand-in for a yard, and the right image is that same picture edited by AI from a written instruction. The exact instructions are listed lower on this page. None of them are photos of real customer homes.

AI-generated stand-in, before: a plain flat backyard lawn with a wooden privacy fence and the side of a house

Before

AI-edited version of the same image: a wide concrete path between two wooden raised beds of herbs and lavender, ornamental grasses, a tiered stone fountain and a wooden bench under an arch of white flowers

After

A sensory garden on a plain lawn: path, raised herb beds, grasses, a bench under a flowering arch and a fountain (first instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in, not a customer photo. Followed: wide smooth path, two wooden raised beds with herbs and lavender, ornamental grasses, a bench under an arch of white climbing flowers, a stone fountain. Not followed: the path runs straight to the bench instead of making a loop, the beds look closer to knee high than waist high, and the fountain is a tall tiered one, not a small bubbler. Changed unasked: none we could see.
AI-generated stand-in, before: a bare small concrete patio corner beside a house wall, with a wooden fence and a patch of grass

Before

AI-edited version of the same image: tall ornamental grasses, a planter of rosemary, potted lamb's ear and lavender, a wooden chair, and a round pond set into the patio

After

A small sensory corner on a patio: grasses, herbs, soft-leaved plants in pots and a chair (second instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in, not a customer photo. Followed: tall grasses, a herb planter, lamb's ear and lavender in pots, a wooden chair. Not followed: the small bowl water feature came out as a round pond sunk into the concrete slab. A real one would be a bowl or basin set on top of the patio; cutting a pond into a slab is a much bigger job. Changed unasked: part of the slab is drawn as grass.

What goes in a sensory garden

Each part of the garden is chosen for a sense. Scent: lavender, rosemary, mint and scented climbers such as jasmine, ideally planted around the seat where people stop. Touch: soft lamb's ear, ornamental grasses and smooth stone. Sound: moving water, grasses that rustle, gravel underfoot. Sight: strong colour and contrast. Taste: herbs and edible flowers such as pansies and nasturtiums.

Keep anything edible in one clearly marked bed, and keep plants that are toxic or spiny out of reach, especially in gardens for children. Many designers also add a quiet corner without water or chimes, for visitors who find noise too much.

Paths and raised beds people can actually use

Accessible garden guides commonly suggest a main path about 5 ft wide, or 4 ft with places to turn around, and side paths at least 3 ft wide. A firm, smooth surface such as pavers or compacted fine gravel works for wheelchairs and walkers; loose bark mulch does not. Loop paths let people walk around without turning back.

Oregon State University Extension suggests raised beds about 2 ft high, or up to about 3 ft on legs for people who garden standing or seated, and no more than about 4 ft wide when you can reach in from both sides (narrower for children). That way nobody has to step into the bed.

How to try a sensory garden on your own photo

The tool above is in Custom mode, which has a Custom Design Requirements box. Describe the path, the beds and their height, the plants, the seat and any water, and where each one goes.

  1. Take the photo in daylight from where you usually see that part of the yard, with the fence, wall or patio in frame.
  2. Describe the change in the Custom Design Requirements box: what to add, where it goes, and what must stay, such as the house, fence or patio.
  3. Use Upload Your Garden Image to add the photo, then click Generate Custom Design. You sign in with an email code or Google when you generate.
  4. Compare the result with your photo. If something is in the wrong place or too big, name the spot and the size, and try again.

What the AI can and cannot do

The AI shows the look: where a path, beds, a bench and water could sit in your yard. It does not measure path widths or bed heights, check sun, drainage or plant safety. In the examples above it drew a straight path instead of a loop, made the beds lower than asked and sank a pond into a patio, so check each result against your plan and measure on the ground.

Sensory garden instructions to paste into Custom mode

These are the exact instructions we used for the two examples above, in the same order. In the tool above, Custom mode is selected: paste one into the Custom Design Requirements box, then upload your photo.

  • Turn only the lawn into a sensory garden: a wide smooth concrete paver loop path, two waist-high wooden raised beds with herbs, lavender borders, ornamental grasses, a wooden bench under an arch covered in climbing jasmine, and a small bubbling stone fountain. Keep the fence, the house, the trees behind, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same
  • Add a sensory garden to this corner: a small bubbling bowl water feature, tall ornamental grasses, wind-safe herb planters with rosemary and mint, lamb's ear and lavender in pots, and a wooden chair. Keep the concrete patio, the house wall, the fence, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same
Try it on my yard photo

Frequently asked questions

What plants are good for a sensory garden?

Pick for each sense: lavender, rosemary and mint for scent, lamb's ear and ornamental grasses for touch, grasses and water for sound, bright flowers for sight, and herbs or edible flowers such as pansies and nasturtiums for taste. Keep edible plants in one marked bed.

How high should raised beds be in a sensory garden?

Oregon State University Extension suggests about 2 ft high, or up to about 3 ft on legs for gardening while standing or seated, and no wider than about 4 ft if you reach in from both sides.

Is the AI landscape tool free?

Yes, to start: 1 free render with a free account, and free renders carry a watermark. If you want more renders without the watermark, choose a paid plan.

More yard ideas

Want to see any of these on your own yard? Open our AI yard design tool, upload a photo and describe the change, or browse all AI design tools.

Looking indoors too? The AI interior design tool redesigns a room from a photo, and the paint visualizer tries colors on walls and siding. You can read more about who builds these tools on our about page.

For more, browse all of our landscaping ideas, sorted into front yards, backyards, patios, gardens, pools, styles and regions.