Floral clock

Not to be confused with Linnaeus' flower clock.

Floral Clock, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Tehran, Iran.

A floral clock or flower clock is a large decorative clock set into a flower bed in a park or other public recreation area.

The floral clock was a form of carpet bedding set onto an operational clock-face, invented in 1903 by John McHattie of Edinburgh Parks in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh and first seen in spring of 1904. It was soon imitated across the United Kingdom.

In Edinburgh the clock mechanism is set inside the plinth of the statue to Allan Ramsay adjacent and lasted until 1936. It was constructed by local clockmaker Messrs James Ritchie and Sons Ltd, originally using salvaged parts from Elie Parish Church in Fife. The cuckoo which accompanied the clock does not survive.

Most have the mechanism set in the ground under the flowerbed, which was then planted to visually appear as a clock face with moving arms (also holding plants).

Zacatlán Floral Clock

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

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 and in Frankfort, Kentucky.

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, Australia 2002

External links

• Michael Jackson's Floral Clock
• World's Biggest Flower Clock
• Edinburgh Floral Clock