How to Choose Sundials for your Garden

Sundials make popular and attractive garden ornaments. These days they are primarily used as decoration rather than as time-pieces, but as such they add a tranquil air of historic timelessness to the garden. Although old sundials are expensive to buy, there are many good reproductions available, and sculptors and blacksmiths will often be delighted to take commissions to produce original works.

There are two types of garden sundial: one that is placed in a horizontal position on a pedestal, and one that is fixed vertically to a wall. Essentially, each one consists of a dial and a gnomon — the sloping piece that casts the shadow. The gnomon is usually made of metal, either brass or bronze, although stone ones are sometimes seen, and the dial can be made of metal, engraved stone or slate; the smooth texture of the latter makes it particularly popular.

More contemporary designs made of metal and perspex can also be found. If freestanding, the sundial should be placed on a pedestal made of stone or cast cement; this must be low enough to enable the observer to look down onto the face of the sundial. If the sundial is fixed to a wall the dial should be clearly visible.

The basic structure of a sundial is very straightforward, but there is plenty of room for imaginative decoration. The gnomon can be made of plain metal or decorative wrought iron; numbers denoting time can be simple or ornate, following any preferred design. Quotations can be engraved on to the dial; anything about the passing of time is appropriate. On a wall, the dial can be painted.

Sundials need careful positioning at a particular time of day, with the shadow of the gnomon showing the correct hour. From a functional point of view they must obviously be sited in a location which receives full sun throughout the day; even if a sundial is to be used for purely ornamental reasons, it should still be placed in a sunny spot as it will look out of place in the shade. A prominent location will take full advantage of their aesthetically pleasing qualities.

Sundials make ideal central features in open, circular, paved or gravel areas, and they can look particularly handsome when placed in the middle of a series of radiating paths or borders. Set in the heart of a herb or rose garden they add true character. They also make an interesting focal point in an otherwise uninterrupted expanse of lawn. Used as an accessory rather than a centrepiece, a sundial can be placed on a terrace or in a sunny courtyard.

An attractive alternative to sundials are armillary spheres, globes of concentric metal hoops showing the progress of the planets across the sky.