| One
of the most sought after horticultural destinations on the North Parkway is the
Floral Clock, featuring a floral design with upwards of 16,000 carpet bedding
plants. The
design is changed twice each year. The spring display features viola, while the
summer/fall display features four cultivars of Alternanthera along with the green
and grey forms of Santolina Sage. California Golden Privet is used for contrast,
as is Blue Festuca Grass from time to time. The
grounds surrounding the clock feature bedding displays and a tower housing Westminster
chimes The
Floral Clock at Queenston was built by Ontario Hydro in 1950. The idea to
build the attraction came from Dr. Richard Lankaster Hearn, HydroÕs General Manager
and Chief Engineer at the time. While preparing for a business trip to England,
Mr. Hearn was encouraged by Hugh Duncan - a Scotsman who was maintenance electrician
foreman at the Queenston Generating Station - to visit the floral clock in the
PrincesÕ Street Gardens in Edinburgh. Dr. Hearn did as Duncan suggested and he
was very impressed by the beauty of the clock and by its practical value as an
attraction. After
his trip to Scotland, Dr. Hearn commissioned HydroÕs Niagara Regional staff to
design and construct a floral clock in keeping with the surroundings at the Queenston
station. A ÒHydro NewsÓ article describing plans for the construction of
the attraction, credits Pat Ryan and Walter Ewart as the clockÕs designers.
Hugh Duncan supervised construction of the attraction and was in charge of the
mechanical and electrical installation work. (Dr. Hearn later served as
Chairman at Ontario Hydro.) The
Edinburgh clock, built in 1903, is roughly 10 feet in diameter. In comparison,
the Floral Clock is 40 feet wide, with a planted area 38 feet wide, making it
one of the largest such clocks in the world. Each year, the face of
the clock is filled with 15,000 to 20,000 carpet plants and colourful annuals,
planted in unique, intricate designs. Since 1977 The Niagara Parks Commission
Horticulture Department (now Parks Department) have been responsible for designing
and planting the face of the Clock and a site maintenance worker regularly checks
the official time to ensure the ClockÕs accuracy. The
hands of the clock are stainless steel tubing: the hour hand is 14.5, the minute
hand 17.5 and the second hand 21 feet long. Their combined weight is 1,250
pounds. An ivy-clad, louvered stone tower stands 24 feet tall and
contains speakers that every quarter hour broadcast Westminster chimes.
Under the clock, accessed by a door at the rear of the tower, the concrete foundation
includes three small rooms Ð one for the clock mechanism and its driving motor,
one contains switches to supply the electrical power, and one stores the tools
required for maintaining the floral face. The clock mechanism runs
in a bath of oil. The mechanical workings are driven by a 5 HP DC motor
supplied from a DC drive. A tachometer is mounted on the motor shaft and
provides feedback to the drive to control its accuracy. The
Westminster chimes are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The
sounds are simulated and are broadcast through 2-25 watt co-axial speakers mounted
in the bell tower. An
attractive feature is a 10-foot wide water garden that curves 85 feet around the
base of the timepiece. It is a popular wishing pond and coins that are collected
when it is cleaned each fall are given to local charities. Adjacent to the Niagara
Parks Centennial Lilac Garden, parking, washrooms and a small gift shop are provided
for the convenience of the thousands of visitors who stop here each year. This
floral showpiece has become one of the most photographed attractions in Niagara
Parks The
timepiece is located beside the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station No. 1 and its
mechanics are still maintained by staff of Ontario Power Generation (the successor
to Ontario Hydro). The
Floral Clock is one of the many sites operated by The Niagara Parks Commission,
an agency of the Government of Ontario that has preserved and maintained the parklands
and attractions surrounding the Falls without tax dollars since 1885. Admission:
Free | 
