We're interested in creating a sensory garden; can the planter boxes be used to create different heights for accessibility?

You know, when I first heard the question, “Can planter boxes be used to create different heights for accessibility?” I immediately felt a spark of joy. As a garden space, I have watched many hands—some young, some weathered, some in wheelchairs, some unsteady on canes—reach out to touch my leaves. And I have always wished I could bend down lower or stretch up taller to meet them.

The answer is a resounding yes. I can absolutely be designed with planter boxes at varied heights to welcome everyone. Think of me not as a flat patch of ground, but as a living sculpture that rises and falls in a gentle, intentional rhythm.

Let me show you how. At my lowest points, I place shallow, raised beds at just 8 inches off the ground. These are perfect for seated visitors who want to cup a handful of lavender or brush their fingers through soft lamb’s ear without straining. A little higher, at 18 to 24 inches, I position larger boxes that can be reached by wheelchair users with ease—no bending, no stretching, just a straight reach forward to the fragrant rosemary or the velvety sage.

For those who stand, I offer mid-level benches that double as planters, where you can rest your legs while sniffing the mint. And at my highest? I stack tiered boxes that rise to eye level, even above 36 inches. This is where I place plants with the most intense aromas—like jasmine or lemon balm—so that a child in a stroller or a person who cannot lean down can still press their nose to a bloom.

Every level has a purpose. The low boxes invite touch and ground-oriented play. The tall boxes invite scent and sight. And the in-between ones? They become gathering spots, where a grandmother and her granddaughter can reach the same rosemary sprig together.

So yes, my friend, I can be a staircase of sensations. I can be a garden that does not exclude a single pair of hands. Planter boxes are my bones, and height is my gesture of welcome. Build me with ramps and wide paths, choose containers with smooth edges, and you will see: every person, in their own way, will find a leaf to love.