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Sun Dial or Plinth - which to buy first We are often asked which you should buy first - the sun dial or plinth. Normally it is the sun dial that is going to be the focal point so you should buy the sun dial first. There only a handful of sun dial makers but hundreds of different plinths and plinth suppliers. It is much easier to carry a sun dial round to try on plinths so buy the sun dial first. Then take it around and try it on a variety of plinths. Sun dials date from 1500 B.C or before Sun dials are an ancient method of telling time. The oldest known was constructed in Egypt around 1500 B.C. It was shaped like an L, and the length of the shadow cast by the vertical leg along the horizontal leg of the sun dial indicated the time. Romans perfected the horizontal sun dial we know today, and even invented portable versions for traveling Sun dials work according to the earth's rotation The principle is simple. As the Earth rotates on its axis, the sun appears to move across the sky. As it does the shadow of the gnomon (Greek for Know) pointing toward the celestial pole will move across the hour band of the sun dial. The sun travels 15 degrees westward every hour; the gnomon's shadow on the sun dial plate moves at the same rate. You read the time by noting the hour line closest to the edge of the shadow. During the Renaissance, sun dials of every description were produced. In addition to marking hours and minutes, some sun dials recorded the date, seasons, and signs of the Zodiac. Some even carried tide tables, which indicated the time of high tide at named ports. At the same time instruments like Orreries and Tellurions were created to show the movement of the earth, moon, sun and planets Those who couldn't afford their own sun dials had only to look up, for vertical sun dials were mounted on the outside walls of many churches and public buildings. By the 18th century, though, increasingly efficient mechanical clocks began to supersede shadow-chasing sun dials. Still, the French railway regulated its clocks by sun dials until the end of the 19th century. Gardeners, of course, don't need to mourn the passing of shadow clocks. We can perpetuate the 3,500-year tradition simply by placing a sun dial in a sunny spot in the yard. Set on a stone pedestal, a sun dial can both anchor the garden and trace the hours we spend digging. Not only did the Romans perfect the garden sundial as we know them today, but they were also among the first to use them in gardens. Roman gardens were private spaces, most often set behind houses and enclosed on all sides by colonnades and rooms. In the midst of this ordered scene was the garden sun dial - set on a stone pedestal to catch the shadow of the sun god Sol as the crossed the sky. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, monasteries preserved Roman horticultural practices as well as their garden sun dials. So today, when we set our sun dial we are following a practice that is centuries old. Horizontal and armillary sundials are best for gardens Of the 8 types of garden sundials - horizontal and armillary are best suited for garden use. Horizontal garden sundials, the type commonly seen on pedestals, consist of a dial plate, marked in hour lines, and a "gnomon," the raised projection that casts a shadow. Armillary spheres, which look like large, open globes, have the hour band fixed in the plane of the equator; the gnomon takes the form of an arrow shaft set diagonally - the angle being determined by the latitude the dial is being used in - we set the angle to suit that latitude where our dials will be used. Other sundials don't work as well in the garden for various reasons. Vertical sundials need to be attached to a south-facing wall, and other types of fixed sundials (polar, analemmatic, reflected ceiling) are difficult to find commercially and can be hard to read. Portable sundials work well, but as their name implies, they need to be carried about. Ornate or simple, a well-sited sundial will draw the eye. When choosing a site select a sunny, level spot. A garden sundial set atop a pedestal draws the eye upward, so ideally you should position one in the line of sight of an interesting feature; a path between flower beds, perhaps, or in front of a trellis, a flowering tree, or, simply, a wonderful view. Alternatively, use the sundial as a focal point, with triangular garden beds and paths radiating out from it. And make sure you set a bench nearby, so you can rest while contemplating Sol's journey from dawn's awakening to dusk's sleep. And of course they make stunning and memorable gifts. To tell the passing of time setting up is easy. On a summer's midday set the dial up so that the shadow of the gnomon is a 12 o'clock. | 
