World's First Floral Clock..

This floral clock has been planted out since 1903 in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. It is the oldest floral clock in the world, with up to 40,000 plants in an ornate design reflecting a different theme each summer. This year's theme is a celebration of the tenth anniversary of Edinburgh as a Fair Trade City.

My picture shows the clock, but the full design is a little larger and includes (out of shot on the right) a large display with the emblem of Fair Trade.

The idea came from James McHattie, City Superintendent of Parks and James Ritchie, the Edinburgh clockmaker, using the mechanism of a redundant turret clock. In 1905 a cuckoo which pops out every hour was added, and in 1934 a new mechanism was installed by Ritchie and Sons, who still service it.