I have two varieties of 4 O'Clock plants. One has yellow blooms and the other has bright pink/magenta colored blooms. My question ..... do the different cultivars of 4 O'Clock have different scents?
My yellow blooms smell delicious like honeysuckle or Jasmine.
The pink blooms smell a little like a shampoo scent (I can't quite put my finger on this fragrance).
And if they do have different scents, which is the most fragrant of all the 4 O'Clock plants?
Thanks so much for any information! :-)
Four O'Clock fragrance question ...
Ive only had the light pink and the magenta(Mirabilis jalapa) and the magenta is far more fragrant(stronger). I also have M. longflora which has a nice scent but doesn't carry as well as the magenta. To me they all have the Jasmine like scent but some are stronger than others.
Caren
I have the magetina also but it sure dont smell. I would love some seeds of some that smells. Want to trade .Fran
I have some confederate rose and Flamboyant also some others. triple yellow datura.
Fran - It's my yellow 4 O'Clocks that have the sweet Jasmine scent. I walk by them in the evening they get my attention immediately. My magenta colored ones have a weird "shampoo or something" scent. If you would like some of my yellow 4 O'Clock seeds, send me a d-mail. :-)
Maybe it is the soil or something but my 4'clocks smell of citrus and jasmine....no smell in the day...only as the warmer temp starts to drop in the evening.They are considered pests (almost) here because they spread very rapidly.....but I love them.I have the kind that has many different colours on the one plant....no flower is the same .
chrissy - Please take a photo of yours and post here. I'd love to see the different colors! :-)
You know .... I thought about the soil difference too that might be causing them to have a different scent. The yellow are in one location and the magenta are in different location. Yes! They can become invasive! I may be pulling some of the magenta ones up, but the yellow ones are still in pots almost 2 years now. Helps keep the tubers contained. I am worried about the magenta 4 O'Clocks planted in the ground. I may have to re-think that situation.
And I agree that the fragrance only becomes noticeable at night. During the day they don't bloom, but come sundown ..... look out!!! Heavenly!
Oh yes everyone who comes into the garden cannot believe the fragrance.Do yours have yellow splotches and streaks on each magenta flower? and the yellow have magenta splotches and streaks?.....also different shades(including red through to orange? )and these are all on the same plants.About pictures I am new to computers but determined to learn how- now that I have found this wonderful site ...but even if I knew how ..it is cold (winter time )here and 4'clocks have gone to sleep and died down.They are in full flight round Christmas and the whole planting looks just like Christmas decorations! By the way the seeds all germinate! so perhaps if you pick them off before they drop.I don't because they fill in all the places under the trees and act like a beautiful living mulch and no weeds can grow.:)
Oh Chrissy! Take photos at Christmas! Mine are solid colors, not mixed. Yes, I wished I had a place to just let them go wild! I so love them and their fragrance! :-)
I did try Red Glow last summer and was disapointed with the scent which was only faint. It has a nice color though.
This year, I am trying teatime rose and M. longiflora, I hope they will perform better otherwise I might consider avoiding 4 o'clocks in the future. When I read that a flower has a scent, I expect being able to enjoy it from a distance not only when I bend over it and stick my nose into it.
I will keep my eyes peeled and continue reading this thread, just in case.
They have an evening fragrance and quite strong ...did you sniff the air at night?.......also stronger with a bit of humidity like many night flowers :) I don't know what kind mine are because I picked the seeds off some plants poking through a fence of an old old abandoned cottage....perhaps they are an old type. :) Some newer breeds of plants lack the perfume of older varieties.ie Roses and some sweet peas...so I hope yours will be nice and smelly for you.
My magenta ones aren't that strong. You have to be stand right next to them. But the yellow are considerably stronger. When I just stand on the screened porch where they are planted right outside the porch, I can smell them. When there is a breeze it blows the scent right onto porch and out into the yard around them. Their scent is not over-powering though. More of a subtle, sweet scent. It's one of those fragrance that you get a gentle whiff of and go ... Hmmmm .... what is that lovely smell? And when I walk by them, I can definitely smell them. But the scent is only at night. By dawn the scent is gone and there is no scent at all during the day. And it is actually dark out when I smell them, not just dusk where the sun is just setting.
Maybe we haven't the right type of climate here...
I could try your varieties Chrissy and Becky. If you are interested in a trade; just pick something on my list. I might add some other things to my list in the fall though.
http://davesgarden.com/trading/view/list.php?list=have&member=zarcanat
I do have some M. multiflora too but did not realize they needed a stratification before it was too late this spring. I will see next year what they have to offer.
Happy to send them to you next Summer ...but would it be doing the wrong thing from my country to yours?....any troubles with quaranteen ? I would not like to do the wrong thing.:).PS the seeds should be as fresh as possible....perhaps that is why some folk have problems with germination rates.
No problem with sending seeds Chrissy. I already did a few exchanges with Aussies.
Thanks for the offer!
zarcanat - D-mail me if you want seeds. :-)
I was walking today rather this evening and sure enough those magatena four oclocks have a strong fragrance in the evenings. Thanks for letting me know.Fran