Four-o’clock Flower Growing Tips
KanPhotos/Getty ImagesFour o’clock flowers
These shrubby, 2-foot tall plants produce many trumpet-shaped flowers that unfurl to open at dusk. Four-o’clock flowers come in a wide range of colors from white, yellow, pink and red, and sometimes have streaks.
Enjoy these flowers during the summer evenings when temperatures have cooled down. Nocturnal pollinators such as hummingbird moths appreciate them too.
Grow four-o’clock flowers in sun or partial shade. They tolerate heat, pollution and just about any soil type. Hardy in Zones 9 to 11, these plants can be grown as a tender perennial there or an annual in other areas. They occasionally survive a cold winter in a sheltered location and freely reseed, so you’ll have plants for years to come.
Ask the Experts: Four-O’Clock Flower Identification
Courtesy William GoacheePlant in daytime
Courtesy William GoacheeEvening flowers
“These photos were taken the same day— one during the day and one at night. Can you tell me what this plant is and why the reverse blooming time?” asks Birds & Blooms reader William Goachee of Romulus, Michigan.
Horticultural expert Melinda Myers says, “Your plant’s common name, four-o’clocks, will help solve your mystery. As you observed, the fragrant flowers open late in the day. Four-o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) are an old-time favorite, available with red, yellow, pink, white or striped flowers.”
More Night Blooming Flowers
Backyard Tip: Plant four-o’clocks, moonflowers and evening primrose in a moon garden for summer nights full of blooms!
About the Expert
Melinda Myers is the official gardening expert for Birds & Blooms. She is a TV/radio host, author and columnist who has written more than 20 gardening books. Melinda earned a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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