Workers from the Parks Department spent the day installing the floral clock in Victoria Park on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Staff started bright and early on Tuesday with laying out the measurements of how it will be set up for the Maple leaf in the centre and the lettering for the Garden Club which is celebrating 165th anniversary.
Cobourg’s horticulturist, Rick Cromlish said on Monday, the clock was prepped with a bit of roto-tiling.
Then on Tuesday, thousands of plants were brought from the greenhouse in Cobourg’s east end to Victoria Park.
There will be approximately 2,000 begonia’s creating the Maple leaf in the middle of the clock and on the outside there will be over 1,000 plants.
Cromlish said Cobourg is many places where flowers are planted during the summer, but the floral clock is “special.”
“Certain designs can take up to two days to do, but this year should only take one day.”
With the angle of the clock, sometimes it can be “tricky” to plant.
“You get used to it – but it’s not super comfortable,” Cromlish says with a smile.
“There is a strategy involved where you want to plant the outside first and then you do the inside. Planting the outside on strange angles can be a bit challenging, but most of our students have been with us for one or two years so they are used to it.”
Floral clocks are extremely rare in the province with Cromlish stating the only other ones he is aware of are in Guelph and Niagara Falls.
“The clock is something people want to talk about a fair amount. When we do the open house at the greenhouse there are a lot of questions about the clock. People are pretty interested.”
The clock is commonly used for wedding photos during the summer months.
“The last time we did a Maple leaf on it, there were tons of people who did it during Canada Day. It’s nice to get this one done early in the planting season as it will look good by Canada Day.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
