A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Four-Oclocks

Hello all

I planted some of these seeds along my patio (in a bed). Well.. they took forever to come up and are now talking forever to do anything. I don't really know how long they are supposed to take or what they should look like growing up. I can't wait for flowers!

Does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks

Marina-

Marina...
r those da seeds i sent u? They shouldnt take too long... their leaves are rather longish heart-shape.... i remember sending u just a few... coz i unwittingly left a batch at home.. but since i was at da office n wanted to catch that day's post i decided to post da few i brought to office.. if they do not come up i can send u more ...actually i have so many of them n they self-sow...many new plants keep coming up...

in case u r wondering..nope i have not received your package of bush bean seeds... may b in a few more days?...when was it that u posted it?
norhaini

i had them one year. bought established plants (about 2 1/2 inches tall) tho so i don't know how long they would take to produce flowers when you start them from seed. i don't remember how long it was, after planting, before they started blooming...a few weeks tho, i think.

very nice flowers! the blooms will open at 4:00 (hence the name) and then close again when it gets dark.

mine stay open da whole night giving off a beautiful fragrance that i looove sooo much!!

Those sound great.... but no they aren't the ones you sent, those never arrived

I would be happy to resend bush beans if you want, I have plenty left. Please let me know :_

oops my package didnt arrive!? What a pity!! Yep..shall we try again..? Cant remember what else i sent u aside da 4 o' clocks n Butterfly pea... yep some passionfruit seeds i think...

Sure... I think I still have you address in a PM I can ship them today or tommorrow (I will use a faster service this time!!!).

You'll get those bush beans, mine are going nuts in the back yard Now...if those 4-oclocks would give me something I could be happy!

Marina-

So what should i send u this time?...da same s last time? Could u also send me some other seeds..well anything u can spare..i dont want too many of da bush beans... just a few would b enough...please PMme n let me know what i should send u n what u r sending me...whew m so sleepy..need bed...itz 11.54 p.m. now..goodnight!

Mine have self sowed for over 5 years now, and I also start some from seed. They are starting to bloom now...it's taken about 10 weeks. I have yellow, red and one called broken colors which is a tye-dyed looking one. I did up the self sown seedlings when they are small (you can't do it when you get big because they have a taproot) and move them where I want them.

Thanks alan...mine are nowhere near 10 weeks old so they aren't so behind. You would happen to have a photo would you? I have the "kaladescope" type. I am hoping for big bright flowers.

I have a veggie garden and I would love some color, looking at all the green is nice...but some blue ad pink and red and orange, etc would be so nice! I might go to the nursery and try to get some plants that are already up

My mature Four O'clocks that come back from large tubers have just begun blooming in the past week. The ones I started from seed in April are almost catching up...probably will start blooming in another week or two. I have all different colors plus the "broken colors" and they are fun to grow...you never know what you'll get with them.

My favorite is a medium pink with a white star outlined in the middle of the blossom...
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Here are a few more that are blooming now...
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one word of caution however,
once they get established,they go for world domination!this is one of the most prolific reseeders i have ever seen.and once they reach the tuber stage,the only way out is to dig emm all up and hope you got them all.
im in the process of getting them out of my main flower bed and have given them another place in the yard they can call thier own. that way if they spread too much i can just run the lawn mower over the edges to keep em in check.
i had white,yellow and red ones but im not sure if the yellows survied the move. the reds and whites are in bloom now.

Those are beautiful... I hope my kalediscope ones are like the broken colors

Thanks for the photos and all the advice...I placed mine somewhere I hope they will spread and fill in... I guess now the word is patience

mine are mass planted.so I got mass the fragrance.I get hummers& hawkmoths on them at night also& its a job alone keeping up with the seeds.I've moved& shared tubers the size of footballs or larger.I move seedlings too and have shared many young tubers.I have a pale pink,fushia,white,yellow,broke colorpink w yellow& a few like like the next to last picture of rosie.I call it dirty pink.I have 2 different yellows& ones taller.on one the stamin thinggys have pink on them and the other yellow thats taller does not.My whites are shorter than my other 4 pms.

Rosie.I like your pink W white star.so neat-o....ya know?

NjoyNit, that pink with the star is a real knockout. I also have two types of yellow and interestingly...the foliage on one is almost lime green while the other is "normal" green. Are yours like that?

I love my Fours...I don't mind their prolific seeds or tendency to get huge. I try to harvest as many seeds as possible but always miss some. Since the seedlings are so easy to discard when they are little, that just goes along with the regular cleanup detail. lol! If my CRS isn't too bad early in the season, I pinch the new plants back after they have about four to six sets of leaves which results in less tall, floppy plants. If I do forget to pinch back, I have some nice bamboo supports that keep the plants upright.

Rosie

Another word of caution, four o' clocks seeds are poisonous to animals.
The seeds that the the flowers drop everywhere, I mean.

I planted some a good 12 weeks ago from seed. They are 2 inches tall and not sign of blooms in sight. What am I doing wrong? The roots are good and deep I noticed that when planting them from the jiffy pots. I was about to give up and mow em down and try with something else. They are in a place where I really need some coverage.

Karrie, your plants are still a little small to be blooming. I have a few young 'uns that are about 10" tall that have put out a few blossoms. The old established plants that come back each year from tubers are in full bloom and really pretty.

So...have patience and you will be pleased with the results. :-)

Thanks Rosie, I will wait.