This is my first time growing 4 o'clocks. I am growing them from seed & they have been under grow lights. My question is this...should I have sowed them directly in the ground, or is starting them indoors ok? They seem awfully leggy & more like a vine than a plain old single stem flower. I don't know much about them, or their growth behavior...is it normal for them to be growing up a plant stake & wrapping themselves around it? Thanks for any info you can help me with:)

it's been years since granny had them, but i seem to remember them being more substantial than just a single stemmed flower. infact, i always loved them, they were growing by the back door for years and years. self seeded to my knowlege every year.

Maybe your soil mix has too much fertilizer? You should probably pinch them back to just above a leaf axil. That would cause them to branch and become more bushy.

They are almost an invasive here. I battle them all summer along the property line. They should be fine, either pinching back or not. Here they reach around 4' or taller. So it's really up to you if you want it tall and slender or short and bushy. They should be growing like weeds no matter where you sowed them. I'll see if I can dig deep enough to get one of the tubers along the fence. I just can't remember if they're yellow or pink. I'll be out there in a little while, and see if anything is peeking out(as in color).
Have fun,
Rae

Thanks so much for all the tips everyone:) I really appreciate it

I grow white/pink/fushia/yellow and broke colors with fushia& yellow
yellow are the tallest at almost 6 ft pinks are about 3 1/2 ft fushias are 4 ft& my bicolors vary but one groups is higher cause grows incrotch of tree.I'd be tickled if mine would grow in a twineing matter around a stake.they flop over later in season.mine are mas planted in yard and you can come out at night time and smell them over the whole 2 acreas& hear hummingbird wings and where some are in light of security light you can see the hummers.I spent last fall spreading seeds about other end of yard and around fence at back of property by pool.they look leggy where they don't get alot of sun& the yellow seem to have the strongest smell.some of the tubers will get huge I have dug a few& had some the size of a fist.you want them planted in a well draining area cause the tubers will rot if wet all the time.are hardy to zone 7 and would dig and store if zone 6 or higher but grow easily from seed& will bloom in the same season.my yellows at apple tree get fertilized but is cause the tree& wisteria& iris do they just get to share.

I'm interested at what hight do some of you stake them and what ways,plus the area i want to stake is about 75-80 ft long has a tree in the midst also with some groing in its crotch(and thse are actually staked by the tree they grow in)

I grow some from seed every year inside,but I'm not sure why because they reseed like crazy and I find them everywhere. Mine tend to let a little leggy when grown inside also, so when I plant them, I pinch off the tip to make it bushier, and plant the stem a little deeper. I usually have several return yearly as well depending on our winter.

Njoymit, today I planted some of those seeds you sent. I love 4 o'clocks. They are so hardy and reseed easily. Last year I wintered sowed my seeds too, but this year I put them directly in the yard.