Floral Clock, Memorial Garden

From the Niagara Falls Review:

Last spring, longtime Niagara Parks Commission gardener Sam Marchioni hinted it would be his final year planting the famous Floral Clock before retirement.

He was right.

Only it was cancer that made the decision for him.

To the heartbreak of family and countless friends throughout Niagara Falls, Marchioni died of squamous cell carcinoma in January. For the first time in 18 years, the Floral Clock is being planted this week without him.

â€ŔIt’s very sad for everybody,” said Marchioni’s still-grieving wife, Christine, holding photos of her husband working on the tourism landmark through the years.

â€ŔHe did the Floral Clock out of joy.”

Every April, Marchioni and a team of gardeners would spent a week planting up to 10,000 violas in the face of the clock, knowing it would be viewed by millions of tourists in the weeks and months to come.
In June, another 20,000 plants would be installed.

The Floral Clock remains one of the Niagara Parks Commission’s most recognizable attractions, just south of Queenston Heights.