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It was the 18th Century Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus who first planned a flower bed with blooms that would open at different times of the day. A floral clock planted according to his principals is still flourishing at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, where Linnaeus was a professor.

If you have a floral clock flower bed in your garden, you can tell the time of day by the flowers that have opened and closed. The classical way to plant the clock is in a round flower bed, with the position of the flowers corresponding to the time on a real clock.

You need a spot that gets full sun for most of the day. The flowers to use are called Equinoctials, which have specific times of the day for opening and closing.

Here is a list of suitable plants and the times they signify when they open and close.

5am: morning glory, wild rose.
6am: flax.
7am: dandelion, African marigold.
8am: day lily, scarlet pimpernel, African daisies.
9am: English marigold, portulacca, chickweed.
10am: Purslane, Veronique, cinquefoil, Californian poppy.
11am: Purple thistle, Star of Bethlehem.
12 noon: flax, chicory, morning glory close, convovulus opens.
1pm: chiding pink closes.
2pm: scarlet pimpernel closes.
3pm: marigold closes.
4pm: Californian poppy closes.
5 pm: white waterlily closes.
6pm: evening primrose opens.
7pm: yellow cestrum closes.
8pm: dandelions, daylilies close.

You can continue the clock into the night with night blooming plants such as cereus, which opens at midnight. Plant these near your house or patio area so you can take full advantage of the lovely scents of many night blooming varieties.

If you don't want to build a big display, just choose some of the day flowers and make a simple display of them in a smaller bed, set to open and close at significant times of the day, such as when you have breakfast or tea in the garden.

Different plants have different soil needs, so be sure to prepare your garden soil well for the many varieties of plants it will contain. A sundial is almost an essential decorative feature in a garden such as this. But it is a garden design that will go well with any added statuary or garden accessory.

Don't set your life by it a floral clock is meant to bring you closer to the rhythms of nature. It will teach you to be more aware and observant of the way things happen in your garden, and give you a feeling of welcome when plants open to greet you, and a feeling of pleasant winding down when they close up for the day.

Learn more about this author, Gail Kavanagh.
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