This is my pink four o'clock and this is the biggest one I have ever had! I wintered the root over in my cellar with my tender bulbs last winter. It's the first time I have tried it and I will be doing it every year from now on. It really makes a difference in the size! I have seen one house in town that has them 4' tall! I have always known that it could be done but just never bothered until last year.
I LOVE it! It blooms almost right away by the end of June and just keeps blooming until the frost takes it.
It is very easy to overwinter in the right conditions. If you already grow cannas, callas, dahlias, caladiums or other tender bulbs, you can overwinter four o'clock roots. I treated it exactly the same and it came back this year. I grew new ones this year, as well, a yellow and a white. I will be keeping those over the winter this year too.Previously, I just grew them new ever year and was happy with them that way. I started them from seed early in the spring and planted them out after the last frost, with the peppers and tomatoes. I only need 3-4 of them so they didn't take up a lot of space growing that way, but this is so much better!
Mine are solid colours but they come in "broken" colours too. I would LOVE some of those! If you have seeds from broken coloured 4 o'clocks and want to trade seeds, let me know. They need to be all broken colours and not open pollinated with solids near by. It's been my experience that the solid colours are dominate. I have tried it before.Each year they get bigger. I am hoping the pink one will be 4' tall next year! I don't know where I will put them. I'm rapidly running out of room in the new ornamental garden expansion. I'll have to expand again next year! lol! (It's not funny, really. I haven't finished this one yet.) I already don't have room for all my dahlias.
Do you grow four o'clocks? Do you keep them over the winter? As practical as I am, I still love my flowers!I am going to have my four o'clock seed for sale in the seed store this year.
10 comments:
We planted four o' clocks a few years ago and they have taken over one bed. I pull up the ones I don't want anymore but they come back anyway. You don't really have to over winter these plants they are very hardy. You will find your favorite colors will not survive mine are mostly yellow now.
They are not hardy enough to survive the winter here, unfortunately. I wish they were! I plant them every year but they never return on their own. Mine don't even seem to reseed themselves.
Yes, I grow them. They mostly reseed themselves. I planted a few in a new bed this year.
I love 4 o'clocks and usually grow them in the garden. This year my gardening was cut back due to knee replacement surgery in May. But next year will be different.
This was my first year growing 4O'clocks. I still don't know as I will lift these for Winter. It seems whenever I'm out in the garden the flowers are closed anyway. Enjoyed your photos and information though!
I've never heard of them but they look amazing x
I remember four o'clocks as a child in my mothers's garden. I really need to plant them in my gardens. Your post is lovely. Thanks for the sweet reminder.
Those are SO beautiful!
I thought id stop by your blog and say hello. And i hope your enjoying the beautiful fall weather that has begun. Richard from Amish Stories.
Hi and welcome Richard! I am enjoying the great fall weather now. Up until this afternoon, it has been nothing but rain, rain and more rain!
I do love the four o'clocks and so do the hummingbirds. They grow and bloom the first year from seed!
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