Visit The Floral Clock in Niagara Falls

Brief informattion, history, location

This must-see beauty may be found 8.8 kilometers to the north of Clifton Hill, right next to the Sir Adam Beck Generating Stations and the Centennial Lilac Garden. With this clock, millions of tourists are able to appreciate both the natural and the man-made aspects of beauty. It is also a wonderful location to go to after eating a hearty lunch on Clifton Hill, since you can burn off some of those extra calories by taking a leisurely stroll through the neighboring gardens following your meal.

The design of the clock was inspired by one that can be found at the Princess Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was first constructed in 1903. Dr. Richard L. Hearn, a former chairman of Ontario Hydro, was there on business when he saw the clock and was so impressed by it that he started a campaign to have a similar clock built in Niagara.

The Floral Clock at Niagara Falls has a diameter of 40 feet and is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. It was first introduced in 1950 as the floral show piece for Ontario Hydro and featured the letters in the company’s name, “ONTARIO HYDRO,” to indicate each of the twelve numerical places.

The clock is covered of almost 24,000 different kinds of colorful carpet plants; however, during the winter months, stones take the place of the flowers. The clock’s face is slanted at a ratio of 3:1, and there is a lovely water feature that surrounds the bottom third of the clock.