Didcot Library Garden Competition
Didcot Library Sensory Garden Design Competition 2023
Now closed - winner to be announced shortly.
Didcot Library and Sustainable Didcot are inviting children aged between 6-16 years to get creative and green fingered to help us get the most out of the small green space behind Didcot Library for our local community and wildlife.
We’re not looking for professional designers or plant experts, just exciting and amazing ideas. The winner will see the inspiration of their design come to life and the garden will be open for use by all visitors to the building!
Important Information
Entrants must be aged 6-16 years.
Closing date: Monday 10th July 2023
The Site
The site now
Location of the site
Helpful information and tips for your design
If you can, visit the library– take pictures or draw the site, and imagine using the garden as a range of different users. The conditions on the site vary from the sunnier space at the front, dapple shade under the trees and deep shade at the back and side. Think about accessibility (but don’t worry; we will also consider this in the final design).
A meeting place
The garden will be used by different individuals and groups of all ages with a range of interests, abilities and needs. For example, the garden will be used by Library staff for Story Time and other activities, and we will encourage local groups to make use of it as a meeting space.
So you could think about different surfaces and different areas. The garden will need somewhere for people to sit. The garden doesn’t have to be all on one level but please no hard structure such as pergolas or play frame as the space is not big enough.
Please note that we cannot alter or use the back fence in any way, and that the drain covers cannot be moved or planted over (though movable pots are possible).
Solar Lights can be included.
Engaging the senses - a sensory garden
A sensory garden should provide a sensory feast, that stimulates and engage the five basic senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. It should help people connect with nature and become more aware of their surroundings.
It can be a mindful calming place, but it can also encourage activities and bring people together.
Feel free to be creative in how you bring sensory elements to the garden, whether that’s in your use of material, planting, and overall design.
Remember to consider safety, for example avoid mixing edible and non-edible plants, and exclude toxic or very thorny plants all together.
And of course, a wildlife friendly garden also provides many sensory elements, from the beautiful bee-friendly flowers to the calming sound of buzzing bees, birdsongs, and more.
Wildlife friendly
We would love for the garden to be a haven for wildlife too. Bees, pollinators, butterflies and moths, bugs and other mini beasts, birds, and bats are all welcome!
Due to the proximity to the car park, it’s probably best we don’t try to attract hedgehogs.
The trees bring height and attract birds, and there is a range of conditions from the sunnier space at the front, dapple shade under the trees and deep shade at the back and side.
Think about how your design might encourage wildlife, for example by providing:
- Something to eat: a range of plants, perhaps berries too, nectar-rich flowers for daytime and night-time pollinators, host plants for caterpillar. Native plants are great at encouraging wildlife and would be welcome in the garden but this is not mandatory. And of course, encouraging bugs and mini beasts also provides food for birds and bats.
- Something to drink (optional): we cannot have a pond in the garden but perhaps there are other ways to provide water for our visiting wildlife.
- Somewhere to shelter, nest or rest: the garden can provide a range of features, some natural from planting or the existing trees, some human-made, from bird and bat boxes to bug hotels and a compost bin. As the space is small, think about multi-functional features, for example seating could also be a shelter for bugs.
Please no fake grass – it has a big environmental impact and is not so friendly to us humans either.
We are very excited to see your ideas. Happy designing!
Here are some more resources for you to explore:
