Four o’clocks n harvest those seeds

by Helen M. Scott
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 1:56 PM MDT

The desirability of an old-fashioned plant, such as four o’clocks, has become more important because of the environmental adversities, such as drought that many gardeners have experienced.

We in Wyoming need a plant that will flourish in periods of severe drought and water restrictions; a plant that will bloom in less than full sunlight situations; is deer- and rabbit-tolerant and can recoup rapidly after being damaged by varmints; is fragrant; is a long-lived tuberous perennial and reseeding annual; and is one of the very few hummingbird and butterfly plants for shady growing conditions.

Sometimes the four o’clock plant can be considered invasive because it is so adapted and tenacious. The flowers do not stay open all day, as the flowers are not responding to an internal clock but to temperature.

So the flowers open in the afternoon n about 4 o’clock. Usually the flowers close the following morning, but if the day is cool, they will stay open until the new flowers open.

In the hot temperatures of summer, folks can enjoy their flowers in the late evening, as four o’clocks provide beauty and fragrance during the cooler time of the day.

The common name, four o’clock, is one of our oldest garden flowers and was originally shipped back to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors, so the experts say.

Mirabilis (four o’clock) is an interesting family containing 350 species in 34 classifications, and the name means “wonderful” in Latin. The common garden variety (Mirabilis jalapa) also is known as Marvels of Peru.

A growing bush plant, four o’clocks grow to about 36 inches with oval, lance-shaped leaves and trumpet-shaped fragrant flowers. Flowers may be shades of red, pink, yellow, white or striped.

The plant thrives in all zones, blooming early through late summer, and thrives in ordinary soil in full sun or partial shade, sending up numerous volunteer seedlings every year (even in cold parts of the country).

In other areas, start the seeds indoors about eight weeks before the final frost date in the spring for transplanting. Seedlings may be set in the garden at about the same time you would plant tomatoes.

Four o’clocks produce an abundance of black seeds, each about the size of a pea. The seeds are formed when the flower dries and falls off the stem, leaving the seed behind.

The seeds can be harvested by picking them from the bush by hand. Place them on a paper towel to dry, which takes about five days. The seeds now can be stored in paper envelopes or in paper bags, which allow air circulation.

Do not place the seeds in any type of plastic container, as this will result in the seeds mildewing and rotting.

Four o’clocks are easily grown in small containers for apartments. A 1-5-gallon container from your garden center is ideal for growing four o’clocks. Fill the container with potting mix, water the container and then press the seeds into the soil.

The seeds should germinate within a week or so, depending on the temperatures. A light solution of soluble fertilizer once a month will be beneficial to the plants.

Four o’clocks can tolerate having the main stalk pinched back to encourage more bushy growth.

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