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Dollar Park’s floral clock is once again in full bloom – and this year pays tribute to a Falkirk-born botanist.

This is the fifth year that the clock has been planted out in the park, close to the Camelon Road entrance having moved from its previous location next to the former Westbank Clinic in Falkirk.

The local community help fundraise for installing the clock in its new home after the project was launched by the Rotary Club of Falkirk, Friends of Dollar Park, the Cyrenians and Falkirk Council justice services.

Designing the clock – which is made up of over 16,000 plants– was the work of Les Pryde and John Fraser, who for many years were colleagues in Falkirk Council’s parks department. In fact, Les remembers his first involvement with the floral attraction being in 1968 when he was allowed to plant it at the end of his apprenticeship.

Pictured with the Dollar Park floral clock: Roy Dewar, justice services senior supervisor; Pamela Hayworth, justice services supervisor; Lynda Ross-Hale, Cyrenians senior manager; Ruth Mulligan, Cyrenians garden coordinator; Les Pryde chair of Friends of Dollar Park and co-designer, and John Fraser, floral clock display co-designer. Pic: Michael Gillen

He admitted that it had been a wish for many years to feature George Forrest. The acclaimed botanist who was born in 1873 and whose expeditions to China saw him bring back more than 31,000 plant specimens, ad who was honoured with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victory Medal of Honour.

Explaining the work behind the clock Les, who is the chair of the Friends of Dollar Park, said: “It began at the start of the year when I sketched some ideas. This year I wanted to go with an octagonal rather than the traditional circle and I think that it has worked well. John and I then discussed it and what plants we could use.

"We then look at sourcing the plants and then some of the ones which are now in the summer beds on either side of the clock were grown in the walled garden from plugs. This year’s design is quite complex but I think it works.”

Planting took place over two weeks and was carried out by the unpaid work team as part of Falkirk Council’s justice service under the watchful eye of Les and John, and includes non-stop begonias, organdie begonias, lobelia, hernaria, sedum, echeverias, sempervirums, pyrethrum, ageratum and marigolds.

Work is almost complete on the dovecot in Dollar Park. Pic: Contributed

There still needs to be regular maintenance including trimming and weeding, as well as watering in dry spells.

Visitors to the park can learn more about George Forest from the notice board placed next to the clock.

Work to restore the 19th century dovecot in Dollar Park is almost complete with the stonemason putting the finishing touches to the building and seating area.

The project received £80,000 in funding from the council’s Community Choices Fund and almost £60,000 from the Common Good Fund.

The Friends of Dollar Park hope the work will make it an attractive feature for the park once again, adding to lots of other changes that have been made in recent years.

There are also plans for the stonemason to restore the two lion statues at the entrance to the park, close to the floral clock. They were sent to the town by Robert Dollar, a shipping magnate and philanthropist, who also donated Arnotdale House and its grounds to the people of Falkirk.

Floral clock again in full bloom in Falkirk's Dollar Park