Four O'Clock - Annual Flower For Your Garden © 2006

Four O'Clock
Mirabilis jalapa
Family - Nyctaginaceae - Four O'Clock

The family name is Latin in origin, and means wonderful. And that is a good description of this wonderful annual flower. It is native to South America, from areas of Mexico, and Peru. Cultivation in Europe began in 1525.

The Four O'Clock, in the southern areas of the United States, may be a perennial. But here in the midwest it is an annual flower. It will grow in just about any soil, but it should be kept moist during the dry summer months. It likes full or partial sun.

The fragrant flowers will be about one inch in diameter and can be white, yellow, red, or pink. It will flower usually in the late afternoon, hence the name, Four O'Clock. Bloom season extends from mid-summer until frost kills them in the fall.

Propagation of the Four O'Clock is by seed. Plant in flats in a hotbed or greenhouse, set in the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Dig the tuberous roots after the tops have died down in the fall, before the ground has frozen. Store in damp sand or peat. The plant will usually reseed itself, also.

A tropical perennial, the Four O'Clock should find a spot in your annual flower garden. The fragrant flowers open in late afternoon from summer until fall.

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