Have You Experienced Greeley Park Sensory Garden?

Greeley Park has been in the news lately, as a local group is proposing to build an updated playground, Legacy Playground, that would be accessible for all who would like to play.

On June 30 the group reached a fundraising milestone, raising $100,000 – which earned them an additional $25,000 from the Finlay Group, pushing them up to the halfway point – a total of $250,000 is needed to complete the project, which will be a gift to the city from Leadership Greater Nashua.

Group spokesman Eric Brand said it looks like legislation will be coming before the Board of Aldermen next week so that the discussion can begin in earnest, for proper placement of the playground.

The group would is open to discussion, but would like Greeley Park to be on the short list, as it's a natural fit – one reason? It's already home to a Sensory Garden, which was constructed in 1994. 

If you've never been, we've uploaded a short video walk through and some lovely photos of some of the lovely flora – and even a little fauna.

About the Sensory Garden (from the Nashua Garden Club website:

In 1993, the Nashua Garden club was contacted by an aide to then-Mayor Rob Wagner to inquire if the members of the club would be interested in working in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department to design, plant, and maintain a Sensory Garden at Greeley Park for the visually and physically handicapped.

Assisted by the Perkins School for the Blind in Waltham, MA, the club members designed a garden which contained plants that could be experienced, not only through the sense of sight, but through the senses of touch, sound, and smell as well. 

The garden was dedicated on July 28, 1994, the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To commemorate the garden's 10th anniversary two lovely additions were made: an arbor, and a bronze plaque depicting the parts of an iris, sculpted by garden club member Carolyn Gaudet.