The common name of four o'clocks was given to Mirabilis jalapa because the flowers of this plant do not open until late in the day. This old-fashioned garden ornamental in the four-o'clock family (Nyctaginaceae) is a tender perennial hardy in Zones 7-10, generally grown as an annual throughout most of the US.
Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before frost in spring using a seed starting kit. Sow evenly and thinly and cover with ½ inch of seed starting formula. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days.
Plants get to be two or three feet tall in sunny spots or in part shade, and they bloom from midsummer until frost. In relatively warm-winter climates, four o'clocks will come back every year from tubers that overwinter in the ground.. . . . .364011236067!]0000000000000009783314145210!]
