News

 Wondering what the patina of a solid brass sundial from Rome looks like after 15 years in the sun, snow & rain? This Sunrise ~ Sunset sundial was set outside in the late 1990s and the photo was taken yesterday. We love how the faux finish is naturally replaced with a verdigris patina. 

Excellent discussion on BBC 4's In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg on the history of time measurement. <<Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the measurement of time. Early civilisations used the movements of heavenly bodies to tell the time, then mechanical clocks emerged in Europe in the medieval period. For hundreds of years clocks were inaccurate but now atomic clocks are capable of keeping time to a second in 15 million years.>> stream, download or podcast In Our Time  

  Rome's solid brass combination birdbath sundial is featured in the latest issue of SouthPark Magazine. This home, garden & culture magazine is based in and covers Charlotte, NC. Unlike most of Rome's brass sundials which feature a two-tone finish, the birdbath sundial has a darker brass finish that is reminiscent of bronze castings.

For hundreds of years, mottoes, cast or engraved unto the dial surface, have been a central part of garden sundial designs. Sundial mottoes are incredibly diverse in subject and tone. Sometimes they're written in the first person (ie "I am silent without the sun"), others express the passing of time ("Time flies") or the need to embrace the beauty of life, nature and love ("Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be").  Here are some of my favorite quotation about time although they've never been used on a sundial (to the best of my knowledge). “Lost time...

In addition to the blog, you can now connect with us on Facebook & Twitter. facebook: www.facebook.com/gardensundials  twitter: gardensundials