floral clock

A floral clock, or flower clock, is a large decorative clock with the clock face formed by carpet bedding, usually found in a park or other public recreation area. Most have the mechanism set in the ground under the flowerbed, which is then planted to visually appear as a clock face with moving hands which may also hold bedding plants.

The first floral clock was the idea of John McHattie, Superintendent of Parks in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was first planted up in the spring of 1903 in West Princes Street Gardens. In that year it had only an hour hand but a minute hand was added the following year. A cuckoo which pops out every quarter hour was added in 1952. The clock was soon imitated across the United Kingdom and later throughout the world.

In Edinburgh, the clock mechanism is set inside the plinth of the statue to Allan Ramsay adjacent. The first mechanism using salvaged parts from Elie Parish Church in Fife was installed by James Ritchie & Son.Monuments and Statues of Edinburgh, Michael T.R.B. Turnbull (Chambers) p.5 A new mechanism was installed in 1934 and has been electrically operated since 1973. It is still maintained by James Ritchie Clockmakers.

The only flower clock with two faces moved by the same system is located in Zacatlán, Puebla, Mexico. It has two faces, each in diameter. It was built by Relojes Centenario, a local manufacturer.

Examples

Michael Jackson had a floral clock at his Neverland Ranch.

Other floral clocks can be seen in the International Peace Garden on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, Rockford, Illinois and in Frankfort, Kentucky.

On 19 May 2016, Camarillo Plaza in California unveiled a in diameter floral clock. The clock was created as a dedication to Mr. David Pick.

Images

File:Floral Clock, Water Works Park (NBY 2645).jpg, Floral clock in Water Works Park in Detroit, circa 1900s
File:Цветочные-часы,-Санкт-Петербург.jpg, Saint Petersburg, Russia
File:Flower Clock in Geneva.jpg, Geneva, Switzerland
File:20110717 Stadtpark Vienna 2488.jpg, Vienna, Austria
File:Bürkliplatz (Blumenuhr) 2011-08-01 19-46-38.JPG, Zürich, Switzerland
File:San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.jpg, San Francisco, USA
File:Reloj.jpg, Zacatlán, Mexico
File:World's largest floral clock, Tehran.jpg, Tehran, Iran
File:Кривой-Рог-украина-часы-цветочные-часы-95804.jpeg, Europe's largest floral clock, Kryvyy Rih, Ukraine
File:Floral Clock at Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne.jpg, Melbourne, Australia
File:15 23 0952 niagara floral clock.jpg, Niagara Parks Floral Clock (2015)
File:FloralClock ChCh gobeirne.jpg, Christchurch, New Zealand
File:Floral Clock in Ostend(1).jpg, Ostend, Belgium
File:Flower Clock, Yangmingshan.jpg, Flower Clock in Yangmingshan, Taipei, Taiwan
File:Aerial-NeverlandTrainStation.jpg, Floral Clock at Neverland Ranch's train station in Los Olivos, California
File:Floral Clock in Shiraz-Iran-1961-ساعت گل شیراز-۱۳۴۰.jpg, Shiraz, Iran, 1961
File:Floral Clock-Victoria Park-Cobourg-Ontario-20220819.jpg, Cobourg, Canada
File:Floral Clock-Frankfort-Kentucky State Capitol-Kentucky-USA-20180910.jpg, Floral clock (Frankfort, Kentucky), USA
File:Temisvar sat.jpg, Civic Park, Timișoara, Romania
File:Floral Clock, Carlisle Park, Morpeth, United Kingdom.jpg, Carlisle Park, Morpeth, United Kingdom

References

*Brent Elliott, 'Floral Clock', ''Oxford Companion to Gardens'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1986
*Clifford-Smith, Silas; 'Floral Clocks', ''Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens'', Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, 2002

External links

Michael Jackson's Floral ClockWorld's Biggest Flower ClockEdinburgh Floral Clock

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floral Clock
Clock designs
Floristry