I couldn't figure out why I never saw the flowers open on my four o'clocks. All I ever saw was the closed up flower in the morning so I knew they were blooming. I found this article and figured it out. "Though they are called Four O'Clocks, they bloom a good bit later than 4 p.m. - it's really more like 6 p.m. here. Rather than light bringing them into bloom every evening, they are actually responding to temperature change, and on cooler cloudy days they will open earlier and close later in the morning. Pollinated flowers will close earlier than non-pollinated flowers, explaining to some extent the success this plant has in dropping viable seed. Four O'Clocks sport trumpet-shaped flowers in vivid colors, as noted above, and grow to shrub size - about 3 feet or more with similar width. Bloom time is mid summer until frost. Each flower is followed by a hard black seed about the size of a peppercorn. The flowers are the perfect shape for hummingbirds, and also attract butterflies and bees." We had an excessively hot summer so the temperature did not really drop at night and it was. We have had our first beautiful day in months with cooler temps and look what I saw this morning. ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) Just thought I would share in case anyone else had this problem.
I like your blooming 4 o'clocks! Especially the lavender/purplish ones! I have some yellow, white and pink ones that keep reseeding each year. They were the first flower seeds I planted in my un-landscaped yard the first year we lived here, because I knew they would take off and grow easily. I love the seeds, my kids used to love to collect them and plant them the following spring. Good info on the blooming too. We too here in NE. are finally getting out of the hot, hot summer days and have had some beautiful weather. (Just in time for football)
Those are good fotos, Gail. It is nice that you finally get to see them. They are a beautiful flower, to be sure--but that fragrance...Oh me, oh my, how refreshing that is!
Well those were certainly worth waiting for weren't they? I love the colours and am so glad you got photographs of them and let us all see them.
One of my neighbors has a beautiful 4 o'clock. I keep meaning to ask if I can steal some seeds. Or can you get cuttings from them? I'd really like to have some ready to plant in the spring.
Cheryl...I think you need to do seeds. I started mine from seed, they produce a seed like a large peppercorn.
If it's not raining when I get home, I'll walk over and see if there's any seeds she'll let me steal.
Beautiful four o'clocks! I just planted some of these in a DIY seed tray and I'm so excited to see them come in.
If one puts afternoon-blooming plants on the east side, they will bloom sooner because they are in the shadows sooner. If they are in the sun until sundown, the bloom will happen later in the day. Conversely, if one puts morning bloomers like morning glories on the west side, the direct sun won't hit them until later in the day, prolonging the bloom well past sunrise.