Friday, May 28, 2010

Flower Clock

I'm reading a book now called A Sideways Look at Time by Jay Griffiths. She writes about lots of different things, but one of the more interesting things I think is how she explains how closely nature and time are tied. She loves clocks that measure time by the happenings of nature. One such clock is called the Flower Clock or the Garden Clock. We all know that certain flowers bloom only at certain parts of the day. Well, the Flower Clock is made up of a bunch of different types of these flowers, where each type of flower blooms at a different time of the day. This way you know what time it is by seeing which flowers are blooming!

A poem by Andrew Marvell describes this type of clock:
How well the skillful gardener drew
Of flow'rs and herbs this dial new;
Where from above the milder sun
Does through a fragrant zodiac run;
And, as it works, th' industrious bee
Computes its time as well as we.
How could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckoned but with herbs and flow'rs!
I would love to be able to see one of these gardens in person.

1 comment:

Kathy Haynie said...

Wouldn't it be cool to plant the right flowers in a circle in the yard...you know, to make a clock.