Wheaton  

Sundial: 503
State/Province:  Maryland Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Horizontal Dial Condition:  No Longer Exists
  Latitude and Longitude: 35° 3.583' N  77° 2.350' W
Location:
  • Brookside Botanical Gardens
    1800 Glenallan Ave, just uphill from the butterfly house
 
Description:
  • A 20 foot diameter horizontal dial in the middle of a brick patio. The gnomon, about 12 inches wide and 8 feet tall, is made of thin wood painted a verdant green and edged with molding. The dial face is a bed of flowers with hour lines of small plants, all immaculately kept by gardener and dial builder Roger Haynes. Around the circumference of the dial are Arabic number placards for each hour from 6am to 6pm. The flowers are changed seasonally for a gardener?s delight, and during the winter when the plants are dormant, the gnomon is removed and the area is used for a winter light show.

    John Carmichael explained the origin of the dial (July 2003): Roger Haynes is the head groundskeeper at Brookside and he came across my website somehow about two years ago and asked me to help him design a sundial for the gardens. We discussed all sorts of
    ideas, but settled on this untraditional yet traditional living plant design. The park was very short of funds, so Roger had to do a lot of lobbying to get it pushed through the powers that be. But I think he did a great job considering we did all our communicating via email
    and drawings. I can't wait to see how it will change as it grows and as they change the plants every season.

    Roger Hayes reports that this dial will be removed in November, 2009.
 
General Information:
  • Owner: Brookside Botanical Gardens
  • Designer: John Carmichael & Roger Hayes
  • Builder: Roger Hayes
  • Construction Date: 3 July 2003 - Removed 2009
 

Last Revised: 2019-10-03 16:02