A floral clock in your garden will help you tell time without your wrist watch.

Crystal Clear Creation

A visitor wrote: “I was putting together a Christian newsletter for Homeschoolers and our fun fact was about the flower clock. I searched on Google for a site to link to — Lo and behold, your site is a Christian, creationist site! God was at work! Praise the Lord. It is a great site. ”

How to tell time from your flowers with a floral clock

You can tell time from the flowers in your garden.

One of the most remarkable gardens we have seen contained a clock made from living flowers. The fragrance and colors of this garden made it a delight to visit.

The floral clock was truly enchanting. It had 12 divisions for the hours, and each hour would see the flowers in one of the divisions open or close. People who knew how it worked could leave their wristwatches at home when they visited this garden.

Gardeners have long known that certain flowers open or close at the same time every day. But it was eighteenth century Swedish botanist and creationist Carl Linnaeus (pronounced lin-AY-us) who really put this knowledge to work.

Garden of delights

Linnaeus compiled a list of flowers with the times they opened and closed. He then planted a garden displaying local flowers that were reliable even on cloudy and cold days.

His floral clock idea has been adapted in many gardens since. It shows just one of the remarkable ways humans have been able to use stunning design features in God's creation.

A number of schools and communities are now taking up this idea. If you would like the names of some flowers to use in your clock, select the link below.

(Want some sample flowers to plant?)

(See a larger picture of the floral clock.)