4 o'clock height?

I am planning to grow some 4 o'clocks this year. I love in a zone where they are annuals. I'm wondering how tall do they get the first year if you start them from seed in early spring?
Thanks,
Mara

By the end of summer, they will be about 3' bush. They jerk me back to my childhood. Love them.

Thanks,
It's always hard to tell if plants really grow to be the size they say on the seed packets. I can't wait to try them!
-Mara

Try kalideoscope, they are really pretty.

I love 4o'clocks also. I just purchased the kal. last week. Looking forward to these. I also have whites that I heard are hard to get.
They are tender per. here Mine are just starting to come back. yahhhhhhhh!!

My sister lives in a more southern part of Missouri and she says hers comes back every year after a light tilling. I've never grown them, but am going to start some this year. The person I got the seeds from told me if you pull out the tubers at the end of the season and plant them in the spring, they get much bigger and more flowers.

I can confirm this. I have two year old tubers after this season that I lifted again in November. It usually takes 7 to 9 weeks here (depending on the weather) to get flowers from plants sown by seed. Instead, when I planted them from their tubers, I got flowers in 4 weeks. Its excellent, especially when you live as far north as zone 5, where the growing season is shorter. They also sprout quicker and are much more vigorous and healthy. They are hardy in the ground to zone 7b. The seed, when left ouside, is hardy to 5a (or so they say). They will not come back from the root if the ground freezes. My four o'clocks have been commented on everyone who visits or yard, though you have to visit to see them because we live on a five acre yard (my gardens are not easily visible from the road). I have always combined them with tall growing cannas in the center of a circle (the 7ft tall ones), the four o'clocks on the outer rim. A very nice combination of green and red leaves, it is especially beautiful when they both flower.

The cannas with flowers. This was when the four o'clocks completed their life cycle for a year. We didn't get a freeze until Oct 24th, so they were given sufficient time to reach their complete height and seed profusely (boy I got tons of seeds to give to people).

Nice pictures, wygardener. I will have something to look forward to if I pull the roots (assuming my seeds grow when I plant them in a few weeks!) What would I need to do to store the tubers over winter?
Thanks,
Mara

Can I start planting some now? I'm in zone 5... and I'm very eager to plant my seeds! :-)

Well, your seeds will not germinate likely until May, as that's when they do here. If you have a late frost be sure to protect them well, they are very susceptible early. All I do to store all my tubers (cannas, glads, four o'clocks, etc.) is to store them in a container or something similar in dry* peat moss. I have checked them and they are doing fine. You do need to check them, and what I do is take them all out and check them then put them back in the container or storage device. This should be done a few times in the winter. They are in my garage which is heated and stays between 40-65 degrees in the winter. Be careful to not put them somewhere where it gets too warm, they will begin sprouting. I plant them when I plant my cannas in April (or whenever it is appropriate for your area) about 3-4" inches below the soil.

WyGardener..........I never knew that 4-0-clocks had tubers, not trying to undermind what you are saying, but 4-0-clocks are an annual, especially in our zone which is 5a. The seed from 4-0-clocks are like little black balls. When I sow mine, I usually soak them for about 8 hours in plain old water. Sometimes I sow them in March in my Greenhouse and sometimes I just let them do their own thing in the ground. I plant them in the same spot every year which is the west side of my house. My 4-0-Clocks are a Hot Pink in color, and really grow tall....

Deann

Just like many plants,the 4o'clocks produce seeds that you can plant...but after you have them in ground and they mature they produce tubers that you can pull at the end of the year or if as I am just leave in ground zone 9,and they come back...Canna's do the same thing you buy tubers but, they also produce seeds.Seeds just take a little longer to flower if you have tubers your a step up on time. Hope you understand now....Again there are many plants that do this.....

Yep, mine overwinter on the south west side of the house next to the foundation...I get tons of new seedlings, but have some old tubers that come back. Lots of things can be grown from seed each year that can overwinter..dahlias, cup and saucer vine..