Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Certain scents or flowers can make us nostalgic for our childhood days. Four o’clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa) often have that effect on people as they fondly remember a favorite aunt or grandparent growing them in their garden. This flower’s playful name comes from the bloom time, which is usually afternoon or dusk. On a cloudy day, they may bloom even earlier.
Four o’clock flowers are easy to grow from seed. Though you can start them indoors in early spring, they are fast growers that can be planted directly in the ground after the danger of frost. Their seeds are black and spherical with a hard outer shell. Soak the seeds in water overnight before planting to aid in germination. They are also perfect candidates for winter sowing. If you forget to gather the prolific amount of seeds that will result from your first year of growing these sweetly scented flowers, you will likely find a surprise later in the next season since four o’clocks often self-seed freely.
After the first frost, four o’clock flowers will die back to the ground and are considered annuals. However, in warmer climates, the deep tubers will survive as perennials. In our somewhat temperate climate by the coast, your four o’clock plants may make it through the cold seasons. If you want to be safe, you can dig up the tubers and store them in your garage to plant in the spring. But since they are such fast growers from seed, I would suggest taking your chances. In my fairly protected garden, I believe that some of the plants survived and others popped up from self-seeding. Conduct your own little experiment, and let us know the results.
Take an early morning or late afternoon stroll in the garden to appreciate the beauty of these bright flowers that come in yellow, pink, red, and white. They can also have a mix of “broken” colors on one flower and can have different-colored flowers on the same plant. Their tubular shape will attract hummingbirds as well as other pollinators such as hawk moths. Once the flowers open in the afternoon, their scent will lure evening pollinators.
These easy-to-grow flowers also have the added feature of being deer-resistant. The plants will grow appropriately one to three feet tall. Make sure you enjoy the flowers while they are still open, because they only last one day. Once late morning arrives, the flowers will close and you will need to wait for the close of the business day to see new flowers take their place. You may wish to interplant your four o’clocks with something like zinnias that you can enjoy by day. Or you can make your four o’clocks part of an evening garden that contains moonflower vine, evening primrose, and datura (moonflower).
We would love to hear your memories of this nostalgic flower. Please send your comments and questions to shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
