Archives for 2006

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Four O’ Clocks are one of my favorite annual flowers. I first planted these flowers four years ago in my garden after hearing stories from my parents of how lovely their Four O’ clocks were in their Winter Texas home. My mother kept telling me how nice the scent was so I decided I wanted to try it because I wanted a scented garden.

I purchased a package of seeds from one of the garden centers. The packages contain seeds for a variety of colours of Four O’ clocks so you have no idea what colour might grow where. That summer I had a couple of Yellow flowering Four O’clocks and a few White flowering ones. I quickly discovered that the white ones gave off a lovely scent – as I’m found of saying the scent is similar to Jasmine. I don’t know how many types of flowers I have now that smell like jasmine to me now, but I obviously enjoy and seek out that scent.

What’s interesting about Four O’ Clocks is that they are named for their blooming habit. The flower buds are supposed to open in the late afternoon, presumably as early as four p.m. however mine never open that early. Well perhaps at this time of year they are opening that early, but during the summer they tend to open at about 7 pm and once they are open their beautiful scent perfumes the whole garden.

Every fall I collect the hard black seed from the four o’ clock plants and I store them in a cool dry place. In the late spring I go out and plant them directly in the garden at the depth of approx 1/2 inch. Most years the plants are up and starting to grow by early June and I often have blooms by the end of June. This past summer though they got off to a slow start and I didn’t start having blooms until August for some reason. I must make sure that I have fresh seeds for next year.

The plants grow to approximately 2.5 to 3 feet tall and have a diameter of 2.5 feet or more. I find that mine need staking by the end of july as the plant gets heavy with it’s multiple branches of blossoms.

Four O’ Clocks are also known as The Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa). They are annuals in my area, but they are classified as perennials in USDA zones 7b to 11. 4 o’clocks form tubers that can be lifted and stored in cold regions to maintain a specific plant. These tubers are hardy to about 10F, or colder if well-mulched.

One other benefit of growing this plant, for me at least, is that they are toxic to Japanese beetles. I grow several rose plants and Japanese beetles love roses and tend to eat flower buds and leaves. I’ve only ever seen one or two Japanese beetles in my garden and I’m hoping that they are munching on my Four o’ Clocks and dying and therefore not living long enough to harm my roses.

Have a Great Sunday! I’m going to the In-laws today for our Canadian Thanks Giving dinner and get together but I’ll be home in the evening to visit my fellow Green Thumbers.

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