Weston-super-Mare's floral clock: New plants ordered

The floral clock was built in 1935

New plants have been ordered as a much-loved floral clock is revived.

Weston-super-Mare's floral clock was concreted over in February due to lack of volunteers to water it, to make way for a mural.

North Somerset Council intervened, sledgehammering the concrete and insisting the flowers would be restored.

The council has now revealed the clock will be fully planted by mid-May.

Mike Solomon, the council's executive member for culture and leisure, said the plants that have been ordered specifically require less watering, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We've created a new planting scheme that uses sustainable planting, featuring ornamental shrubs and bee-friendly species," Mr Solomon said.

"As well as providing colour and looking beautiful, these plants don't require as much watering and maintenance as flowers, helping us protect the environment and look after the space in a cost-effective way.

"So we can keep the design looking fresh, there will also be a small area in the clock that can be planted with annual flowers, which we can change each year."

The Weston Lions Club decided to make the floral clock "easier to look after"

A dedicated area for volunteers will allow them to plant what they like - whether that be vegetables, herbs or flowers.

The plants will arrive at the end of April, with the floral clock set to look "glorious for the summer season".

North Somerset Council said it was not told in advance that the clock was going to be concreted over.

Volunteers from Weston Lions Club have been responsible for looking after the clock for the last decade.

"There was a breakdown in communications but I am not going to be playing the blame game," Mr Solomon said.

"We will continue to work closely alongside the Lions Club to finalise plans for the future of the floral clock.

"In this current financial climate, when we're all feeling the squeeze, it would be impossible for us to look after the clock without the hard work of volunteers and the goodwill of the community."

The Lions Club said that looking after the clock had been "costing £15,000 a year at the height of its glory" and keeping up the watering had been a key challenge.

Before taking the decision to replace the flowerbeds with a mural, the Lions had asked for more volunteers to help them water the floral clock — but only two people responded.