Step into history

Many large cities boast flower clocks. For them, basically, a fairly noticeable place is allocated near the central square. The decorative mission is undoubtedly assigned to the composition of fresh flowers. The design of the watch itself is a real watch mechanism, only more impressive in size.

For the first time, clocks made of flowers appeared in the Roman Empire, when they had not yet thought about the invention of a mechanical time reference device. To determine it, scientists used the biorhythms of plants and flowers, depending on the time of day. But this was not quite enough, since this option was valid from the beginning of spring until the end of autumn.

Subsequently, the flower clock was finalized by the genius in the field of biology and botany, Karl Liney. Its design looked like a circle, divided into identical sectors, where plants were planted that opened inflorescences at a certain hour period.

Thus, the flowers bloomed in sequence of sectors, counting hour by hour. The invention first appeared in Sweden.

Distinctive features of biorhythms of colors

At the first rays of the sun, dandelion inflorescences open. In the afternoon, the water lily closes its petals and hides under the cover of water. At dusk, the night violet appears.

So, biorhythms appear during the day, i.e. flowers open and close inflorescences at certain times of the day. Everyone lives according to their own agenda.

In fact, the whole secret is that flowers contain pigments that can transform from one to another during the day, thanks to the ability to absorb daylight. In the dark, the reaction occurs exactly the opposite. As a result, the plant knows what time of day it is at the moment.

But the most interesting thing is that if you move a flower to a dark place, its vital biorhythms will not change. It will also open during the day and close in the evening. However, by regularly disrupting natural lighting, this will play a role, and biorhythms may be disturbed.

DIY flower clock

It is quite possible to decorate a garden plot with a flower clock made by one’s own hands. But not as easy as it seems at first glance. The process itself is very educational and exciting. Children can also be involved in this activity. It will be useful for them to learn about solar astronomy and interesting botany facts in practice.

Be sure to note: the biorhythms of flowering plants are dependent on the climate of the local region and the degree of natural light in the area. Otherwise, it may be necessary to correct the existing color information.

In order for the flower clock on the site to function normally, favorable sunny weather is necessary. In the rain, you should not count on the reliability of the time indication.

The need for flowers and the sun

To create a real clockwork from flowers, you will need several varieties of them. The main thing: they must open and close the inflorescences at strictly defined points in time, corresponding to reality.

The main parameters for creating a flower clock project include:

• choice of the location of the clock mechanism. Here space and excellent illumination by sunlight are important. Avoid shade from structures and vegetation.
• the place should be clearly visible from all sides, as it is not only the decor of the site, but also a device showing the time.
• The round dial is comfortable and familiar. It is enough to equip a round flower bed and break it into 12 parts (number of hours). Before this, be sure to prepare the soil.
• against the background of the lawn, the dial should stand out. To do this, it is enough to overlay it around the perimeter with bright colored stones or gravel of different colors.
• in cloudy weather, you should not trust the accuracy of the readings of the flower clock, the biorhythms of plants can go astray.
• seedling selection is a responsible matter. It is necessary to collect information in advance about the intended colors for planting. Know the opening and closing times of their inflorescences in the region of residence in order to correctly mark them in their respective sectors.

Choice of colors

The most suitable species are flowers with pronounced biorhythms. You should first observe the selected plants, compile a table of their biorhythms and analyze it. This will help you avoid mistakes.

You can create a simple design showing the time of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In the morning (from 7 to 10 o’clock), violet, calendula or coltsfoot flowers open. In the afternoon, at lunchtime (from 13 to 15), inflorescences of poppies and bluebells close together. During the late dinner period (from 20 to 21), night characters open the petals — evening party and fragrant tobacco.

There are many options, you can even choose flowers with biorhythms similar to yours. A flower clock in the country is beautiful in appearance and will tell you the time to eat.

Using the shadow arrow

The easiest way is to create a design that is simple in technical execution. Outwardly, this option is no less attractive, and maybe even more original. Here, flowers perform an exclusively decorative mission.

The function of showing the time will be assigned to the shadow cast by the gnomon, i.e. a column of a certain height (a reinforcing bar or a wooden peg is used). First, a circle is marked in a sunlit area. The gnomon is installed in the central part, with a minimal slope to the north.

A more accurate orientation will help determine the compass, while building a device is better at noon, when the shadow of the gnomon shows the upper limit of the dial (12 hours).

We make a mark of this point at the intersection of the circle and the shadow. After that, sectors of equal size are marked in the amount of 12 pieces. Each sector is equal to one hour.

So that the sectors do not merge with each other, they should be delimited with colored gravel or curbs. Prepared flowers should be placed inside the sectors, preferably low-growing species.

This is a great decor option and it is not difficult to perform. In addition, any flower plants that do not require any binding to their biorhythms are suitable for decoration. It is even easier to make a round lawn, arrange flower numbers on it and install a gnomon. For borders, you can use various types of plants similar to juveniles or stonecrops.

Photo of flower clock