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Seen today as garden decorations, sundials have played a rich role in many civilizations throughout the world. In a time before the invention of clocks, the sundial was the mainstay of ancient businessmen, sailors and households alike, who with the help of this handy tool were able to make appointments and schedule meals and chores on... more »
Ornaments can be used around the garden in much the same way as around the house, although they tend to be heavier. A sundial, statue or a birdbath can add a stabilizing element to a flower garden.
You can landscape with ornaments simply because you like them, because they will look good in a particular position or as a device... more »
An apartment patio is valuable real estate come spring, summer and fall and a space you want to use to its fullest. By addressing the patio as you would any other room in your home, you can create a relaxing oasis in your urban setting. Flowers can help block unpleasant views and create boundaries, while a comfortable seat creates... more »
Supposedly while traveling through England circa 1875, American songwriter Henry Clay Work learned of the history of the Jenkins brothers, whose floor clock stopped telling time after they both passed away. One year later, Work commemorated the siblings in his song "My Grandfather's Clock," and the title has been identified with the... more »
Home décor remains key to our castles, and although there are people who maintain the same surroundings for a lifetime, many of us vary our environment in small ways as an inexpensive variation on the original theme.
Traditional wall fare consists of framed paintings, rock posters and family photos—-maybe arranged as a collage. ... more »
Feeling discouraged by a site that has a huge defect? Here are some ways to approach a site that at first seems unpromising because it is sun-baked. more »
Vintage landscaping uses a combination of heirloom plants and antique gardening decor to create an atmosphere of days gone by. more »
Sundials are wonderful instruments but their accuracy is only as reliable as its set-up. To that end, setting and calibrating your sundial... more »
Decorative garden accessories add character and personality to your garden. They can be simple or ornate, a small hidden touch or a bold... more »
It's been said that a man's home is his castle. If that's the case, then every king and queen should have a moat, or perhaps just a beautiful yard... more »
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A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style (a thin rod or a sharp, straight edge) onto a flat surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow-edge progressively aligns with different hour-lines on the plate. Such designs rely on the style being aligned with the axis of the Earths rotation. Hence, if such a sundial is to tell the correct time, the style must point towards true North (not the north or south magnetic pole) and the styles angle with horizontal must equal the sundials geographical latitude.
Introduction
Sundials can be categorized in several ways: firstly, some sundials use a line of light to indicate the time, where others use the edge of a shadow. In the former case, the spot of light may be formed by allowing the suns rays through a small hole or reflecting them from a small circular mirror; a line of light may be formed by allowing the rays through a thin slit or focusing them through a cylindrical lens. In the other case, the shadow-casting object — the sundials gnomon — may be a thin rod, or any object with a sharp tip or a straight edge. Secondly, sundials employ many types of gnomon. The gnomon may be fixed or moved according to the season; it may be oriented vertically, horizontally, aligned with the Earths axis, or oriented in an altogether different direction determined by mathematics. Thirdly, sundials may use many types of surfaces to receive the spot or line of light, the shadow-tip or shadow-edge. Planes are the most common surface, but partial spheres, cylinders, cones and even more complicated shapes have been used for greater accuracy or intriguing aesthetics. Fourthly, sundials differ in their portability and their need of orientation. The installation of many dials requires knowing the local latitude, the pre read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial
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