Tag: floral clock

Scotland to mark Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Celebrating 70 years of service

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has led parliamentary tributes to Her Majesty The Queen’s service to Scotland, ahead of Platinum Jubilee celebrations this weekend.  

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, the First Minister said that The Queen had played an integral role in the story of modern Scotland, and it was no surprise that the occasion would be celebrated so widely.

Jubilee beacons will be lit across the country tomorrow night and a national thanksgiving service will be held at Glasgow Cathedral on Sunday, in addition to the many community lunches, street parties and afternoon teas planned for the weekend.

The First Minister confirmed that on behalf of the people of Scotland, the Scottish Government will present The Queen with a limited edition Johnnie Walker whisky, with a special design to celebrate the beauty of Scotland’s plants and wildlife, and a throw made from the tartan commissioned in honour of the three bridges across the Forth.

A ‘Jubilee Wood’ of 70 native trees is planned for planting in Holyrood Park, within sight of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The First Minister said this was a historically appropriate gesture, as The Queen’s first duty in Scotland following her accession to the throne had been to plant a cherry tree that still stands by the entrance to the Canongate Kirk.

The First Minister said: “The occasion of the Platinum Jubilee is not just about an institution. It is, above all, about the life and service of an extraordinary woman.

“We should all pay tribute to that. So it is absolutely right that we celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Let us congratulate her warmly on a reign of unprecedented length, and let us acknowledge with deep gratitude and respect, her dedication to duty.”

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee debate: First Minister’s statement – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The First Minister will be attending a number of events in London to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – including the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 3 June, and the Platinum Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace.

Floral clock will bloom in honour of HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Work has finished to complete this year’s design on the world’s oldest Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens. For 2022, the hugely popular landmark will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

A team of five gardeners took just four weeks to plant over 35,000 flowers and plants used to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October. There are nine different plants included in this year’s design such as Agaves, Echeveria, Sedums, Pyrethrum, Crassula, Kleenia, Antenaria, Geraniums and Begonias.

To be ready for this celebratory weekend, the team at Inch Nursery brought the plants on earlier than previous years and the gardeners worked quickly to complete this in time. They will be in full bloom in the coming weeks and throughout the summer.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “I am delighted to once again see the city’s beautiful floral clock completed, and in perfect time for the Jubilee weekend.

“Each year the iconic clock marks special occasions and events in the heart of the Capital and this year it is a unique tribute coinciding with celebrations taking place around the country as the nation marks the Queen’s 70-year reign.

“My thanks and congratulations to the dedicated and creative parks team who have put together the design that I’m sure will be enjoyed by everyone who passes by it this summer.”

The Floral Clock was first created in 1903 by then Edinburgh Parks Superintendent, John McHattie, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It initially operated with just an hour hand, with a minute hand added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound daily.

Since 1946 it has been designed in honour of various organisations and individuals, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Queen, for her Golden Jubilee. In the clock’s centenary year in 2003 it won a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Find out more about Edinburgh’s parks and green spaces.

Floral Clock fact file

  • The clock was created in 1903 and is the oldest floral clock in the world
  • It is housed in the plinth of the Allan Ramsay Monument at the north-east corner of West Princes Street Gardens
  • Planting begins in May each year
  • Up to 40,000 plants are used in the design each year (compared to 13,000 in the 1930s; 25,000 in the 1950s)
  • 1952 – a cuckoo clock was added and still chimes every 15 minutes
  • In 1946 the clock began celebrating a different event or anniversary each year
  • 1973 – when the clock began being operated electrically
  • 2003 – the clock won a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
  • Clock circumference: 36 ft
  • Clock width: 11 ft 10 ins
  • Weight of large hand (when filled with plants): 80lbs
  • Weight of small hand (when filled with plants): 50lbs
  • Floral clocks are now distributed worldwide and many were made in Edinburgh, where the idea originated.
  • They can be found in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, United States of America, Canada and many other European countries.

Floral clock blooms in honour of Botanics’ 350th anniversary

Work has finished to complete this year’s design on the world’s oldest Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens.

For 2021, the hugely popular landmark will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), postponed from 2020 where it was decided with support from RBGE to dedicate the floral clock to NHS and key workers as a message of thanks from the city.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross was joined by Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, RBGE horticulturists and Council parks staff responsible for creating the clock. Together they officially unveiled this year’s intricate design.

The council’s team of three gardeners took seven weeks to plant over 35,000 flowers and plants used to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October.

There are over 15 different plants included in this year’s design including many donated by RBGE such as Agave kerchovei and Agave sebastiana, various species of Echevaria and Cyanotis somaliensis: all of them are integral to the RBGE Living Collection of plants.

The two teams had worked closely on the design and creation of this year’s display, with the Council’s Floral Clock experts advising on colours and choice of plants and how best to present the RBGE logo.

The logo is representative of the Sibbaldia procumbens, a creeping plant in the rose family, that was named after the Garden’s co-founder, Sir Robert Sibbald.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross, who spoke at the official dedication, said: “I am delighted to once again see the city’s beautiful floral clock completed, which I know will be enjoyed by everyone who passes by it this summer. Much like the city’s floral clock, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is iconic to Edinburgh’s past and present and this year’s design celebrates 350 years.

“As always, I am delighted to officially unveil this striking and much-loved creation and I’d like to congratulate our dedicated and creative parks team who have put together the design and we can all now enjoy their realised vision.”

Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “It’s wonderful to see our 350th anniversary celebrated in such magnificent floral fashion, reflecting the four centuries of friendship between the City of Edinburgh and the Botanics.

“The Floral Clock is a particularly apt way of celebrating the work of the Garden. At a time when 40 percent of plant species are at risk of extinction, our research and conservation work, supported by our visionary Edinburgh Biomes project, has never been more vital. We are grateful as always for the interest and support of the people and city of Edinburgh.”

The Floral Clock was first created in 1903 by then Edinburgh Parks Superintendent, John McHattie, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It initially operated with just an hour hand, with a minute hand added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound daily.

Since 1946 it has been designed in honour of various organisations and individuals, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Queen, for her Golden Jubilee. In the clock’s centenary year in 2003 it won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Capital says it with flowers

FLORAL CLOCK PAYS TRIBUTE TO NHS and KEY WORKERS

Work has finished to complete this year’s design on the world’s oldest Floral Clock in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens.

In a change to plans for the clock’s 2020 design, the hugely popular landmark carries a message of thanks from the city to NHS and key workers and as a tribute to those working so hard through the Covid-19 outbreak. The colourful design is in honour of those who have kept the city moving as well as their counterparts across the country.

A team of three gardeners took six weeks to plant the 35,000-plus flowers and plants used to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October. There are over 20 different plants included in this year’s design including numerous Echeverias, Sedums, Saxifrages and Pyrethrum. The design states that Edinburgh thanks all key workers and includes the NHS logo and encourages everyone to stay safe.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross, who spoke at the official dedication said: “This year our legendary floral clock will be paying tribute to the ongoing hard work of the NHS and key workers who we are all so proud of.

“It is an honour to be able to support the invaluable work carried out by the NHS and key workers. Doctors, nurses and other health workers have been and should continue to be appreciated by us all. This year’s clock is a poignant symbol of our response to the pandemic I hope all NHS employees and key workers in Edinburgh will be able to visit and enjoy the floral tribute.

“It is also my hope that key workers in other areas know of our appreciation – there have been so many who have gone above and beyond that we can’t list them all but I hope all will be seen in a more appreciative light that they so thoroughly deserve. And to my colleagues in the Council who have continued to work in these most trying of circumstances to keep the city and its vital services running for the people of Edinburgh – I thank you.

“As always, I am delighted to officially unveil this striking and much-loved creation, which is a source of enjoyment and fascination for so many people every day, and I’d like to congratulate our dedicated and creative parks team who have put together the design and we can all now enjoy their realised vision.”

Professor Alex McMahon, Nurse Director, NHS Lothian, said: “We are so incredibly proud of all of our teams across NHS Lothian and grateful for the way they have worked so heroically over recent months in the face of such sustained adversity.

“This is a lovely gesture that I know will touch the hearts of many people and will help serve as a lasting tribute to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff and key workers throughout Lothian.”

Judith Proctor, Chief Officer of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff in the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, and those working with us in the third and independent sectors, have gone the extra mile to care for those who are most vulnerable.

“My heartfelt thanks goes out to each of them every day and it is a real honour that Edinburgh’s legendary floral clock will be dedicated to thanking them for their resilience during the pandemic. The clock’s beautiful design, and the hard work that has gone into creating it, is a fitting reflection of the hard work and excellent care our health and social care staff demonstrate every day.”

The Floral Clock was first created in 1903 by then Edinburgh Parks Superintendent, John McHattie, and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It initially operated with just an hour hand, with a minute hand added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound daily.

Since 1946 it has been designed in honour of various organisations and individuals, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Queen, for her Golden Jubilee. In the clock’s centenary year in 2003 it won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Unfortunately, this year it will not be a fully functioning floral clock at first as important parts, due to the ongoing pandemic, are not immediately available.

Floral Clock fact file – did you know?

The clock was created in 1903 and is the oldest floral clock in the world

It is housed in the plinth of the Allan Ramsay Monument at the north-east corner of West Princes Street Gardens

Planting begins in May each year

Up to 40,000 plants are used in the design each year (compared to 13,000 in the 1930s; 25,000 in the 1950s)

1952 – a cuckoo clock was added and still chimes every 15 minutes

1973 – when the clock began being operated electrically

In 1946 the clock began celebrating a different event or anniversary each year

2003 – the clock won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Clock circumference: 36 ft

Clock width: 11 ft 10 ins

Weight of large hand (when filled with plants): 80lbs

Weight of small hand (when filled with plants): 50lbs

Floral clocks are now distributed worldwide and many were made in Edinburgh, where the idea originated.

They can be found in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, United States of America, Canada and many other European countries.

Time to celebrate The Scotsman’s 200th birthday

Edinburgh’s world-famous floral clock in Princes Street Gardens is now in full bloom, celebrating the 200th anniversary of The Scotsman newspaper. The much-loved blossoming timepiece, maintained by the City of Edinburgh Council, forms part of a year of bicentenary celebrations.

Continue reading Time to celebrate The Scotsman’s 200th birthday