Mirabilis Jalapa Alba - Four O'Clock

Diane Seeds sent me some free seeds and I'm not sure what to do with them. I looked them up and the seeds are poisonous and the plants can become invasive. Does anyone have any recommendations for this plant? Do you think it would do OK in a container?

It's a favorite over in the fragrant gardens forum. They smell lovely, and there are claims about their effectiveness against mosquitoes and Japanese beetles.

So many flowers are poisonous! I moved to a house with two large lovely beds of Lily-of-the-Valley. Talk about poisonous... but the kids know not to touch it, so I don't have a problem w/ it.

I'm growing four o clocks this year.

I got the free packet of 4 o'clocks from Diane, too!

I'm planting them in containers for my deck. I believe they are great Hummingbird attractants. At least they were a few years ago for us. Lot's of fun.

I'll have to look up the germination process on Tom Clothier's website. Can't remember quite what to do with them.

tabasco, can you link that website? thanks

All kinds of germination/seed starting information on Tom Clothier's Website

http://tomclothier.hort.net/

also lots of good information on starting seeds on DG's Wintersowing site http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/coldsow/all/

and I think Wintersowing would work for Four O'Clocks...

beaker,
They are known in warmer climes for being invasive but for me in N Georgia, I haven't found them to be so. My Granny had them and hers never got invasive either. I wish mine would as I love them so- LOL!
I just can't see them being invasive in your climate as they are a tropical plant. The tubers certainly wouldn't survive left in the ground.

Since they are such a 'hard shelled' seed, they are perfect for winter sowing.

This message was edited Feb 1, 2006 9:44 PM

Hi, I live zone 8 and the tubors definately survive here. I have had some for years and actually they can be somewhat of a problem. They really drop their seeds and can reseed all over the place. But they sure do smell awesome. Hard to describe but they smell heavenly. I have noticed that no matter what colors I plant after a few years I end up with lots of yellow. They tend to get pretty bushy and I don't think they do well in containers. They can get to 4ft or so. They have a long tap root and do not like being moved.

The whites make a good moon garden plant because they stay open all night and close early in the morning on hot sunny days or stay open until later with overcast cooler days.
You can place a sheet of cloth under theplants and shake them to collect the seeds in masses if you don't want a reseeding problem. I grow them along the driveway and sweep excess seeds into a dust pan. Also, as a driveway liner I just mow over the ones that germinate in the lawn. I also dig tubers and store them, although they do come back sometimes on their own.

Beaker,
I'm not trying to be a know it all, but I have two small grandchildren who love to investigate everything, and I have spent time with them outdoors showing them the plants that they should not touch and why. Kids are smart, and its better to teach them because you never know when they might walk right by the most poisonous plant in town. I have jessamine growing on a trellis, and many kids have been poisoned by thinking the jessamine was a yellow honeysuckle. I can feel pretty sure that will never happen to my babies, because they know what the plant looks like and why they shouldn't touch it.

I can't say enough good things about 4 o'clocks! They can be invesive here they reseed like crazy! For me its a good thing as they have their own bed to just go crazy in. If you don't want more plants just collect the seeds and if you miss a few they are easily pulled up when young. They produce a huge
tuber and will return bigger and better the next year. I would dig the tubers in your zone or not even bother with it and just plant more seeds Im sure you will have plenty. If the seed is fresh you could just give it a toss in the bed and then firm it in.
They attract butterflys and hummingbird moths in the evening. I even see hummingbirds at them from time to time. I have found the deep rose color to be most fragrant but some say there is a white one that takes the cake. I havnt found it yet but Im looking! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/566238/
This thread had just about everything you would ever want to know on the subject. Don't let the heading put you off!
Caren

heavinscent you are about to have mail

I planted some mixed 4o'clocks back in 97 and one hot pink tuber has survived every year since then. They reseed like crazy here but are easy to find and yank out. I don't love the hot pink and am planning on picking up the white this year. I didn't notice alot of fragrance but since moving to NC my allergies (which did not exsist prior to the move) are in high gear most of the time and I don't pick up on subtle scents. Good luck with the white ones, I'm sure they'll be gorgeous.

http://hardyplants.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=MNB5&Category_Code=SMM

Mirabilis Longiflora 8 seeds 2.65

Thank you ansonfan! But now I have to look at ALL the seeds ;) I wish I could buy "just one" lol

Thanks for the site!! Ive been looking for some time now.
Caren