Four O’clock plants (Mirabilis jalapa) were originally found in the Andes Mountains of South America.  The Four o’clock is classified as a perennial, especially in warmer zones where the chances are good that if you allow your plants to go to seed in the fall, they will self-seed in the garden.  If you plant them in pots you will need to collect the seeds and plant again for the next season.  These tuberous-rooted plants produce slightly pointed oval leaves on branching stems. The approximately 2-inch-long blooms are trumpet-shaped with five petals, and they come in several colors, often shades of pink and red.  Some four O’clock plants produce flowers in multiple colors, sometimes with marbling or other markings. This is a fast-growing plant that often sprawls in the garden. They get their common name because of the way they bloom. The flowers open in the late afternoon, typically around 4 p.m. or so, and then remain open until the next morning. They have a lemony-sweet fragrance.  Four O’clocks bloom each year starting around June and stretching all the way to frost in the fall.

Continue reading →