You are sure to find a decorative sundial that will speak to your creative side.

With a wide array of garden sundials and sundial bases to choose from there is sure to be one that will speak to your creative side, and create a unique vision of your special garden hideaway.

Gardeners are a very special breed of artist. As they pour over garden catalogs and select just the right colors and types of flowers and plants they envision the finished product while the seedlings are not yet planted. These special artists or designers, if you desire, make our whole world a more beautiful place to live in and we owe them a real debt of gratitude and perhaps a gift certificate for a garden sundial or pedestal base.

The most common sundial is the horizontal sundial.

There are not only several types of decorative sundials and sundial clocks but there is also a wide assortment of sundial bases available. The most common type of a sundial is the horizontal sundial which measures time with a gnomon, or pointer which points true north. The shadow moves on the sundial similar to the hands on a clock, as it is moving clockwise along with the sun. This allows for a calculation of the hour of the day. There are sundial sheets used to create a brass sundial for one’s particular region to improve the accuracy.

This is one of many stunning garden sundials which have been created purposely to grace your garden. The sundial is constructed of solid brass with Verdi highlights. The pointer on this decorative sundial is truly unique and would be the focal point in any garden. It is sure to inspire the artist in your gardener and it is exquisitely made and really is as pretty as a peacock.

Looking at these beautifully made garden sundials it is easy to envision the colorful and fragrant flowers in a carefully manicured garden. Wouldn’t you love to see ivy climbing up this sundial base and embracing the sundial? The bases are built specifically to fit the offered selection of garden sundials at this site so as to assure better stability in the mounting.

A beautiful garden sundial will enhance the beauty of any garden.

Decorative sundials lend a bit of the old along with the new. After all sundials date back to 1500 B.C. and were used in such colorful places as Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Sundials were our main instrument to measure time until as late as 1840 so simply by adding a garden sundial to your garden you magically feel as if you are taken back to a previous era, one where time was not as harried. When entering a garden and walking through such a wondrous place, your garden getaway, sun dials, which represent a part of our history, speak to us. They beckon us to stand still for a moment, to reflect and to enjoy nature. A sundial is a connection to the past because of their history, and a connection to the present because of their ability to measure time. The merger of the two is fitting for a garden. After all flowers have been around as long as there has been an earth so it is only fitting that we have a garden sundial which measures time. Time has been always something to measure and something to treasure.

The first clocks date to before history has been recorded.

The first “clocks” recorded were sundials, candle clocks, hour glasses, incense burners and water clocks.

A well designed sundial can accurately tell time.

They were designed to use the sun, shadows, science and a mathematical equation to tell time. Numbers are written at the base and sun dials are actually designed differently for different regions of the earth.  Unfortunately the sundial requires the sun to shine in order to display the hour of the day so is limited in this way, requiring an alternate back up way to determine the hour of the day.

Some “clocks” only measured a precise block of time.

Candle clocks and sticks of incense would burn down at a predictable length of time so that the user would know when a particular passage of time had expired. The hourglass was very similar in that fine grains of sand would pour through a tiny opening from the top of the vessel to the bottom indicating when that particular amount of time had been used.

Water clocks were calibrated using a sundial and were used mainly for astrological reasons. While they are one of the most ancient means of measuring time, we are uncertain as to how long ago they first came into existence. They were perhaps first used in Babylon and Egypt around the 16^th century. Historical records also indicate their use in India and China, perhaps as early as 4000 BC.

This clock tower used wind, sun and water to tell time.

The “Tower of the Winds Corinthian “, was constructed by the Greek astronomer, Andonicus of Cyrrhus in the 1^st century B.C, in Athens. This tower was one of the first clock towers ever constructed and used wind, water and the sun to help measure time. The tower was of remarkable height, contained eight sundials, and a wind-vane which could be viewed at a considerable distance. Other distinguishable clock towers have been patterned from this design and exist today.

Clocks were powered with various means.

Clocks of bygone eras did not use batteries or electricity for power, but wind, water, sun, pulleys, gravity, oscillation, and or were spring driven. Each type had its drawbacks and its high points. For example the first spring driven clock of record was given to Peter the Good, Duke of Burgundy around 1430 and is now housed in the Germanisches National museum. The spring movement presented a challenge in that the spring ran down and the time piece would lose time each day.

Clock making time began to flourish.

In the 15^th and 16^th century clock making flourished especially in towns where there were metal working factories such as Nuremberg, Ausburg, and Blois France. Accuracy became more important as people needed to measure their work shifts.

The pendulum clock comes on the scene.

These clocks were replaced in the 17^th century by the pendulum clock which was invented in Europe. Pictured below is a modern day pendulum clock. Unlike its original version, this time piece keeps very accurate and reliable time and is battery operated.

In every modern mechanical time piece there is something in common.

They must contain a harmonic oscillator, a physical object (resonator) which vibrates or oscillates continuously and at specific frequency.  In the mechanical clock it is either a pendulum or a balance wheel. Other elements are:

• With Accutron is it is a tuning fork.
• In quartz clocks it is quartz crystal.
• In atomic clocks the vibrations of electrons in atoms emit microwaves
• Prior to 1657 it was a crude balance wheel called a foliot. These lacked a balance spring so were not accurate like today’s clocks and would even lose hours daily.

The harmonic oscillator improved the accuracy by employing resonance to vibrate or beat at precise times. Sometimes the balance wheel also includes a means to adjust the rate and improve the accuracy. Quartz clocks also include an adjustment tool, usually a rate screw; however atomic clocks cannot be adjusted.

Where would we be without our clocks?

This article only contains a small fraction of the history of our time pieces but gratefully all those who went before us contributed much to the accuracy and dependability to the clock as we know it today. Where would we be without our clocks?

1. Sell Grass Sods

Growing a beautiful lawn is a challenging process, which is why people buy grass sods from lawn nurseries. Spread out a plastic sheet on a large piece of bare land and top it up with good soil and compost. Plant lawn grass on it; when the grass is grown, you can cut out sods and sell them.

2. Build A Hedge Maze

Napoleon had built one for his wife, Josephine. If you have the space and the inclination, you could build a great hedge maze and even throw in a treasure hunt. You can easily recoup the costs towards the construction by opening it as a tourist attraction.

3. Sell Seedlings

Everyone’s interested in buying plants from a nursery but very few people possess the skills needed to bring a seedling to life. Get some great compost and grow your seeds in a humid and warm corner. You can even do this in your garage. Get fresh seeds; consult a good plant nursery for details.

4. Rent Your Garden

If you have sufficient land, don’t let it sit waste. If you don’t have a green finger, that’s no reason not to use your garden to make money. Rent it out to neighbors and city dwellers to grow their plants and flowers. Given the recent recession, many people are seduced by the thought of growing their own produce. People are taking up garden slots on rent and there’s a long list for council garden space.

5. Allow People To Camp On Your Garden

This tip is for really large gardens, backyards and lawns. City dwellers are looking for nearby places to go camping. If your home is located close to great beauty spots, it’s a good idea to allow people to park their trailers or set up tents on your property. There’s always a security risk involved, which you’ll have to work out.

6. Grow Fruit Trees

Fruit trees grow quicker than timber. A few years wait and you can harvest enough to sell at a local farmer’s market. Don’t plant different kinds of fruit trees. Rather, plant several of the same species to get maximum yield.

7. Grow Medicinal Plants

Plant sturdy medicinal plants, harvest them and dry them to keep them longer. Talk to a herbologist and find out which medicinal plants you can safely grow. People are increasingly conscious of their health and natural, organic ways to get healthier. They’re buying organic medicinal teas, diuretics, detoxifiers and what not. One thing though – your knowledge of these plants and their uses is a core aspect here. You cannot sell something you don’t understand.

8. Sell Gardening Products

If you don’t have a green finger, don’t fret. You can always sell gardening products such as herb boxes, compost, earthworms, and good bugs and so on. You can even sell good soil! With a little creativity, you can even build snail traps and sell them. People will love to buy them from you, since commercial traps are quite expensive.

9. Get Creative

If you have an herb garden, you don’t have to sell just fresh or dried herbs. You can make essential oils, teas, salves, dryer bags, eye pillows and so on using medicinal herbs. By doing this, you can expand your herbal range and offer value-added products to your customers.

10. Set Up A Produce Stand

Set up sustainable, organic gardening processes and get your garden certified as 100% organic. Grow various vegetables and herbs and sell them to individual customers, organic food markets, celebrity chefs, health food stores and supermarkets. Or, you can set up a produce stand of your own.

11. Allow People To Conduct Parties In Your Garden

People love garden parties but not all of them are lucky enough to have their own gardens. If your garden is large and well maintained, why not rent it out for parties? If you are a good cook, you can actually cater for the parties as well. That’s double the earning potential.

12. Grow Edible Flowers

Edible flowers are used to garnish salads and even pastries. Gourmet hotels cannot get enough of these and if they get them fresh, organic and local then why not. Not all edible flowers are saleable though. Find out what flowers your local market needs, such as violets, pansies and daylilies and plant those.  You don’t need a lot of space to grow edible flowers.

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