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tiffy_z5_6_can

Let's talk Four O'Clocks.

tiffy_z5_6_can
14 years ago

OK, it's a new one to me. I just found a bag full of Four O'Clock seeds which I must have inherited at a local exchange. They were in the basket when I cleaned it up.

I've often heard of this plant but have never grown it. What can I expect? How tall? Colours? Width? Do Hummers and Butterflies like them? Part shade? Full sun? Soil conditions? Do they reseed in my zone 5?

I also saw on some posts here that they form tubers so I guess I'll take those out in the fall like my Dahlias?

As we all know, we can't let a good thing go to waste. :O)

Comments (33)

  • token28001
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here in my zone, they grow to about 4' tall and are very brittle. If they break, they'll regrow quickly. Colors range from solids in white, yellow, pink, sometimes red. Broken colors can have mixed blooms where there's a striped effect. I've never noticed hummers at mine, but they are fragrant in the evenings. They only bloom at night or when it's cloudy. I have to plant them in mostly shade or they wilt. In your zone, they should tolerate full sun. We leave the tubers in the ground here, but you would probably want to dig them each fall after the first frost. Moist soil is best. The best part, they're lightly fragrant. So plant them where you can enjoy the smell at night.

  • greylady_gardener
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I found four o'clocks in the yard in this house when we moved in--thirty three years ago. I had never seen them before and loved them. They were planted up against the foundation of the house and as a result the tubers were kept warm enough in the winter that they came back every year. Not realizing that was the reason they were coming back, I dug them one year and moved them.....they didn't survive that winter. So yes they do form tubers that can be dug and saved like dahlias etc, but also can be planted up against a foundation and they will come back.
    they are a great shrubby (not woody stems though)type plant and I love them. they do reseed for my neighbour but I just can't seem to get them to do that on my side of the fence! :)

  • gardenluv
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I never save the tubers, just plant seeds each year. Mine are in part shade and reach about 2 feet tall. My kids like to collect the little "grenade looking things". They are easy to grow, easy to collect seed, and pretty to boot.

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I loved them as a child but don't care for them now. They smell nice. Those seeds are neat. I've read that the tubers can become a problem, might get too large.

    I think they also might come in purple (maybe not) and need mostly full sun.

    For some, they self seed, for some, they don't, maybe no bare soil to seed in or other reason or come back from tubers in sheltered positions. So if you have a lot of seeds, just hold some back and see what happens for you.

    They had to have self seeded every year two houses down when I first found out about them as a kid because I don't think she ever worked outside and pretty sure her husband didn't have time to mess with them. Oh yes, she yelled at me out the screen when I lost my glasses in there, was always losing my glasses and was mad at me anyway for something. We parted as friends when she became old and we visited via phone and sometimes personal, may she rest in peace.

    Others grow them around here, think they only open in the afternoon, hence the name. Maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong.

  • northerner_on
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Tiffy: I fell in love with Four O'Clocks and have grown them for the past two years. In my Canadian Zone 5a garden they grow 2-3 feet tall and about 2 feet wide at the top. I spring sow them in April and they germinate in early May. The first year, I grew the 'plain fuschia' variety, and was disappointed that the flowers did not open until early evening, or perhaps only on a cloudy day. But last year I grew three varieties: Broken colours (pastel mixes); Kaleidoscope (yellow/orange mixes); and Limelight (fuschia flowers with chartreuse coloured foliage) and I loved them all. This year, I hope to make a semi-hedge of them. They all readily set lots of seed - little black beads which are held on display for easy collecting. I therefore do not keep the tubers - just plant fresh every year. They function best in full sun. Part sun produces small plants with fewer blooms. Very easy to grow. Have fun!!

  • ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Four o'clocks attract and kill Japanese beetles.

    For me they reseed like crazy. I didn't plan to plant them this year bec. I never can figure out when they bloom. I think they time it so they never bloom when I'm at the garden!

    But they do have a lovely fragrance when they do bloom.

    I like the broken color ones,see link below for example.
    They come in a wide array of beautiful colors.

    Critters don't eat them. They are hardy - no pests either.

    For me tho they need to be staked, otherwise they flop and look sloppy.

    ellen

    Here is a link that might be useful: four o'clocks

  • kqcrna
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, Tiffy!

    Boy, do they reseed. This was one small area. They even volunteered in the lawn.
    {{gwi:350584}}

    Pretty and fragrant but they only open at night. Here's a night time shot.
    {{gwi:369437}}

    Not a favorite of mine, I don't grow them any more.

    Karen

  • karendee
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grew some last year from seed. They never got going really but I blame that on the cool summer we had.

    This year I WS'ed some in very large urns I have. I have more seeds left.

    Karen

  • not_a_contessa
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    They are pretty, but I can't say they are a favorite of mine, it really is the Japanese Beetle issue that convinced me to grow them. I got fuscia seeds through a trade because I liked that color. I also have white and yellow but have never sown them.

    Around here the JBs are so bad that I removed a Rose of Sharon tree that was growing nicely but got decimated each year by them. I hated to do it but I just could not stand to see how ugly they were all over the beautiful white flowers!!

    Then I read about Four O'clocks being poisonous to JBs and so now I am trying it in the hope that the population will be decreased.

    Mary

  • v1rt
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    tiffy, here is my 4 o' clocks limelight last year. They grew about 3ft. The flowers were beautiful but it's hard to tell when it will open. LOL. I love this plant. I'll plant more this year! :)

    {{gwi:369438}}

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the info everyone. So helpful!

    I do like the fact that they open in the evening and are fragrant - something for me as I come home. :O) There are some nice varieties out there. Neil, your's is striking!

    I'll try them this year and see what happens.

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That limelight is so pretty. I'm doing a 180 on Four O'Clocks ever since I read about the Japanese Beetles, awful here.

    But I can tell you they go for yellow first, so I found some all-yellow ones at American Meadows, reasonably priced. I sure do not want to order any more seeds but could direct sow along the JB main entry points, the strip in the back and the yellow roses in front even though I pinched the buds off all summer, bummer, they still go for the leaves and go for the sunniest spots. That is another entry point.

    So I'm kicking that around, to order or not to order, like the idea that I can buy 1/4 pound of them, could use a lot. By the roses in front, I really needed that space for other plants, but if I do a hedge along the strip, I wasn't planning on expanding in that direction but am now, just slightly down over the crest of the terrace a bit, gets good sun.

    I'm getting rid of almost all my roses, but hate to give up those two beautiful Charlotte Austins in front, keeping one or two others and all my spring bloomers where I rooted cuttings, lot of good they do me when I can only let them bloom the spring flush until mid June then sometime in September. The beetles hung around a lot longer last year. I treated everywhere I could with Grubex but that won't stop them from coming in, and I have to do it every year. Ugh.

    They still go for the leaves of the spring bloomers, but the flowering is done by that time. They are ruining my clump of birches, like my potted Plumbago, pussywillow and daisies. When it's really bad, I can find them on almost anything but mostly between 11 and 3 in full sun spots. If I do a decent job of drowning during those hours, I seldom see very many in early morning or evening. I hate, despise, loathe those sickening things. Bugs in general don't bother me. They've been a summer scourge ever since they made their way here about 5 years ago; people don't fight them like I do so it's only going to get much worse. Downtown where the tourists come they must have been really yucky. My daughter saw tons of dead ones, yucky too. They would have access to more powerful commercial sprays.

    The grubs also ruin your grass in spots if you don't treat for them.

  • gardenluv
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aliska, I've got a bunch if you want. Last year I had yellow, white, pink, and broken colors. The kids collected the seeds and threw them all together so you won't be sure what colors you will get but if you want some just let me know!!

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    gardenluv, I came back to look up that hydrangea. Wow, my mother told me beggars can't be choosy, but I wanted all yellow because they will attract the most beetles although those little beggers aren't too choosy either. Thank you for your kind offer.

    I will call tomorrow and see how much shipping will be as that might be the deal breaker. They're $4.95 for 1/4#. There are a couple fall bulbs there I want but that would probably mean paying for separate shipments. Now I see they have other colors. The prettiest ones are mirabilis jalapa but they are $6.79 for a bag of 5 "bulbs" which would mean tubers and you're not likely to get all those colors w/5. I read up on them some, and some tubers can get to be 1' long, a nuisance and invasive, probably more of a problem in the south.

    They have some all red ones which are really pretty, too. Hard to find stuff on there, had to put o'clock in the search box. Drat, they have the red trillium I've been wanting (that might settle this), most places are usually out, also have the white. There's more I would like, but can't have everything.

    I hope I don't come across as ungrateful because I might change my mind about that, too. Mixed ones would be prettier as flowers for sure. If it weren't for attracting beetles, I'd want that limelight one.

    Today the main thing I accomplished was load some real heavy stuff in the wheelbarrow, hard time balancing and pushing it, and am pooped. I hate getting old. And I cannot find my pruners ANYWHERE, went through a whole kraft bag thinking I might have dumped them with the stuff I cut. I hate that, usually there is one place I always put them, not there.

  • karendee
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a bunch of seeds but just not sure where to plant them. I assume they get tall so maybe in a clump behind some other plants or bushes.

    I just can't decide so I have not sown them all yet.

    Karen

  • ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had good results with four o'clocks repelling or poisoning Japanese Beetles.

    Whatever you do, do NOT get one of those things that you hang in a tree, and is supposed to draw in and kill them.
    Someone at my garden put one up and we immediately had thousands of JB's.
    All the information I've read says that they attract many more than they kill.

    Then we put down milky-spores, which is supposed to kill the grub, but recently I read that does not work so well.

  • silverkelt
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ive never seen any huge benifit growing 4 oclocks and the prevention of JBS,

    There are various studies on Milky Sport, one is that this beneficial nemotode, declines rapidly in longer colder winters... whereas the JB grub can exist much longer.

    The bags work as a draw, which kills some, but you are right.. dont bother hanging them in your yard. Give them to your neighbor as garden gifts HA!

    Handpicking has some benifits, but lets face it, the bigger your garden, the harder that is to acomplish during the hieght of JB season... you are talking hundred and hundreds and hundreds, Ive drowned 600 + in one day.

    This is the #1 one ecological problem in my area, not global warming.. which quite frankly, might have more benefits for maine than draw backs =)... Ala an article I read back a few years ago that some Canandian districts are becoming more livable as the climate warms up...

    Anyways back to JBs no one seems to be doing anything about them!!! Everyone is so worried about global warming, while whole crops are being lost to one little bug! Tons of products, but until there is a release of a real predator, throwing tons of insecticides seems to be the only real solution.. people scream not to release some common predators, but the problem is that the JBS are not going away.. they are here! We need to import something to kill them!

    Theres my rant for the day!

    Silverkelt

  • wantie
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wasn't that why starlings were imported?????? Not sure though. Maybe someone else remembers if that is true.


    Anyways back to JBs no one seems to be doing anything about them!!! Everyone is so worried about global warming, while whole crops are being lost to one little bug! Tons of products, but until there is a release of a real predator, throwing tons of insecticides seems to be the only real solution.. people scream not to release some common predators, but the problem is that the JBS are not going away.. they are here! We need to import something to kill them!

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Wasn't that why starlings were imported?????? " Possibly, but then the Starlings discovered that they didn't have to run around trying to catch the JBs and just had to sit outside our favourite quick service restaurants and donut shops to get their meals since some humans just don't know how to use a litter basket.

    It's like the seagulls circling a landfill instead of catching fish in the ocean like they used to.

    In many cases, we've made it possible.

    Just another point of view.

  • Naomi Miller
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love my 4'oclocks.....they are fail proof, lol.... I threw down some seeds about three years ago and they come back every year, thicker and stronger than the year before... I do not dig up anything, they just reseed and do their thing here in VA.... if I want them somewhere else, I pull a few seedlings early in the year, transplant and off they go... they are a great filler in a bed and have some beautiful colors....and they really do open their blooms at around 4 o'clock every day.... good luck

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ellenr, silverkelt, wantie -

    I've read up on them over the past 3 years. Importing a predatory species is a slippery slope as we know from the Asian Carp, Kudzu, etc., unintended consequences.

    There have been experiments in Maine with the tachinid fly which are helping where they are prevalent. See link, scroll down to "A Tiny Winged Hope" at the link. But I wouldn't want them glomming onto my ladybugs which are getting re-established.

    The University of MI (can't find a good link) a couple years back released some beetles experimentally to some gardeners to take home and try. They had been innoculated with a virus the adults then pass from one to another.

    I made the mistake of putting up 2 traps 2 years ago, a disaster, drew more in, the way they die is to be attracted by the pheromones, fly into the yellow baffles and drop in. But too many would just sit on top of them mocking me lol. Or they'd miss the traps altogether. Then the following year they were worse especially where the traps were. The only way traps are effective is if you own a larger property where you can surround the perimeter of your property by putting them out a ways. But they're a nuisance, and have to be emptied regularly because the dead beetles either fill to the top or repel.

    I don't expect 4'oclocks to magically solve my problem but it might help. I pick and drown in soapy water. I tried Sevin. The rain washed it off in 3 days. I tried Bayer Rose and Garden Insect spray. It kills bees, observed with my own eyes from residual effects even after a rain. Culprit is imidacloprid so I will use up what I have only on plants that aren't flowering but still attract beetles, helps some.

    Some people cover their roses with inexpensive nylon net for sewing from places like Walmart. I'm looking into finding the right size mesh of lobster netting, won't kill them but can't get on the plant to feast. My neighbor had good results with food grade diatomaceous earth because they're into strictly organic. They mainly bothered his hisbiscus. He would get the plant wet, then wear a mask and latex gloves and sprinkle it all over the plent, had to do it once a week during the worst of it, but claimed it worked, also mixed it in soil where he found grubs.

    I applied Grubex in the proper time window this past summer, Jul 15 to Aug 15. It has to be either watered in WELL w/hose or sprinkler or rained in because it quickly breaks down in the sun. I got lucky and got a lot of rain. Can you imagine sprinkling that stuff in for a long time a huge, grassy yard? The grubs kill your grass.

    Other people have tried various products. I'd rather not use a repellant but a killer that won't harm other beneficial insects or birds.

    In order for Milky Spore to work (it's expensive) the neighbors need to pitch in and do it, takes a couple years to work through the soil, am told by the ag people that it's not effective in the colder zones.

    One lady had them so bad on her property near Peoria that she couldn't go outside, were banging against the house. She finally made a spray and claims to have gotten rid of them. Ingredients were dish soap, lemon juice and vinegar? We could never find out the proportion of ingredients.

    There's Neem oil, permethrin, lots of different things, none work well for bad infestations, need the chemicals only licensed people are allowed to use and don't know how long an app lasts. My lawn guy got them off his cannas with the stuff "in the red can" will have to ask him again what it was from HD.

    Last year they got in the corn at the farm, finally had to spray, and think it's GM corn. They get in the silk, mostly on the outer edges of fields, and eat the silk. If they eat too much before the ear is pollinated, there will be no corn.

    That's enough for now. I'm still trying to figure out what works best and taking out most of my roses, fed up with it. But they'll still bother other things, a few they will not bother. They are most attracted to yellow.

    I wish we didn't have to deal with it, hanging from strings from our mulberry trees in the parks. My neighbor across the street hasn't been bothered by them. He grows dogwood, tulip tree, Eastern Redbud, Sweet Autumn clem and a flowering quince, doesn't have too much by way of plants. That's probably because they'll mostly in my yard. My white birches (work from the top down), pussywillow, cherry trees, and various plants. They will kill a tree or plant over the years, love linden trees.

    Just because I get rid of most of my own doesn't mean they won't be coming in, swarms of them, from elsewhere. The golf course is treated at the nearby park close by, but nothing else AFAIK.

    I've given you lots of words to search on. Put japanese beetles in quotes and other keywords.

    Lots of threads on GW about them over the years, no magic bullet for those flying, chomping, oversexed devils.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hill Gardens of Maine - Japanese Beetles

  • zookeeper9000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We are having problems with JB because they were imported to take care of a different bug. When are the people who think up these re-release or import something to take care of something going to learn. Example the wolf, we had the timber wolf in the UP of MI they decided to import wolves back in the UP they brought in the red wolf which we never had before they brought in the wolves that were trapped somewhere else because they were a problem there. Now they are a problem here. They are even going into the winter dens of the bears and killing them in the dens. No we don't need to import anything to kill these JB's we need to find a different solution to get rid of them. Sorry importing and the re-release of animals back into states they are no longer in get me on a soap box.

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    zookeeper, maybe you've got the beetles confused with the Asian ladybugs? I don't think they eat other bugs but plant material, could be wrong.

    I've read this from several different sources otherwise wouldn't use wiki.

    "The insect was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It is thought that beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of iris bulbs prior to 1912 when inspections of commodities entering the country began."

    Goes on talking about how first spotted in Nova Scotia in 1939.

    From New Jersey, they have slowly and relentlessly fanned out, working their way north, south and westward. But they're not much of a problem in FL or the Gulf states and much west of Iowa. The Rockies and deserts provide a natural barrier of sorts, but it appears they've gotten into the Pacific NW and working their way down to CA.

    Here's Purdue's alltime distribution map, don't like wiki's map because it just shows eastern US.

    Known natural predators include the Praying Mantis, but it would take a ton of them. Also (I read a lot of this on the OGR forum) people report their ducks, wild turkeys, starlings eat them. The turkeys poop them out dead but undigested, saw a very yucky photo of that someone posted from the east coast who was having a horrid time that year. I used to see brown birds, possibly an unfamiliar (to me) woodpecker) feeding in lots of lawns around here and under my birch trees, wondered what they were eating.

    I now think they were eating the grubs, but I haven't seen those lately, had been feeding them. They are carnivores. People didn't like them and put up fake owls to scare them away . . .

    But I'm with you 100% about importing things without considering negative consequences, some of which aren't known until it's too late. That's why I'm cautious about the U of MI experiment and the tachinid fly, much as I'm hoping for relief. I'm thinking when they really hit the grape, almond and fruit crops in CA, there will be more agitation to find the best eradicator. They will spray, and that means more stuff to worry about on and in our food. Sevin on the instructions tells exactly when to quit spraying on food crops, like I'm supposed to go by that? I only spray my cherry trees after they have fruited which may have been earlier than usual last year before they showed up Jun 21 in my yard. It was about a week later the year before.

    Sorry the map makes you scroll to the right but one of the best ones I know.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Beetle - Wikipedia

  • ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    wow - very interesting.
    Thanks for these views.
    I am reminded of a fish, cannot remember the name of it, somehow got in our streams and eats everything!

    It even walks on land.
    I swear this is true, altho no one believes me. :)

    Anyone else know about this?
    Hope I'm not spreading a false rumor.

  • silverkelt
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Im am not usually in favor of releasing anything else in the a native climate Zookeeper, however, you do not claim a state...

    Ive found most people DO not relize how bad it is when you hit the worst of the states, whole crops can be lost in weeks, corn farmers are now using sprays over acres and acres of fields to kill them... you should see them skeletize a whole section of green bean farmers.. yikes!

    It goes on and on.. do we just keep dumping the pesticides over and over? It wont stop them. Ive seen corn fields with MILLIONS of JBs swarming around.

    It is not a small problem but so invasive here. How do we stop them? Milky spore has limited effect here due to our weather.. they just dont like -15 below 0 =)...

    This is a constant debate on the Rose forum , another plant they particular like. Some spray all season to keep thier roses going, others villify them to no end. But until you live with the problem..

    Maine is the most heavily wooded state of the the union as well.. even though they like grass, they will sow thier grubs anywhere..

    You should see trees they devour in days.. just gone, GONE!

    I dont know what to do, but again HERE in maine this is a major ecological disaster.

    Silverkelt

  • ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I appreciate this education.
    Last year someone I garden with, who knows a lot about the problem of invasives, was telling me about honey-suckle.

    I was saying how I like the smell. And he told me about how it chokes out the native plants.
    I kinda knew that, but until he went into it, I hadn't realized what a HUGE problem it creates.
    Many ecological implications.

  • silverkelt
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Different parts of the states, have different issues..

    Japenese shrubby Honeysuckle is invasive here.. the regular vine honesuckle is not, they make small clumps of growth and do not escape into the wild here..

    Ala, Morning glories, here they dont even get seed pods, our seasons are way to short for that.. They are grown around mailboxes and even the tall ones can only reach 8 feet to the end of season, dying with the first frost.

    I wouldnt discourage anyone here in Maine growing either of these vines.. however, I know that other parts of the states would be a disaster if they grew these.

    I guess where you live impacts you the most. ITs most important to talk with gardners in your own area.. When I first started growing veggies, I just picked stuff out of a catalog that looked cool.. let me tell you I had melons, not ripe enough, watermelon other long season crops, that just dont work well here without some effort.

    Now I grow through and circle everything that has 70 days or less. Then make my choices from that.. Even though my normal first frost date is sept 20, I can and have had frosts as early as aug 25th.

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, silverkelt, for emphasizing how if we don't get a handle on it, the implications for food crops.

    Was reading a little more last night, and they damage veggies, too. The grubs eat the roots of those as well as grass. I think the adults feed on some, too.

    Also ellenr, don't know your fish but there might be one like that. Some importations have been a blessing but others an enormous curse.

    Now my mind is racing ahead, and I wonder about the potential of Four O'Clocks and isolating the chemical component that allegedly kills them. If they fly off and die, that would make it harder to do a controlled study. But it's worth looking into if it just targets the beetles.

    We need to eradicate these things like polio and smallpox, not sure it's even possible but at least get the numbers and damage way down. I've seen no beneficial effect from them in the US. Sure they might be pollinators but destroy most of what they're pollinating in their wake.

    One of my great concerns is what some pesticides used in fighting them do to our bee populations. I didn't find this but somebody did and posted it, see useful link.

    I can live with pesticides as a short-term solution but not a long-term one and would rather not go the route of manipulating genes in a lab in plants for more resistance, haven't seen anything about that yet specifically for JB's. Could happen.

    It should be noted that early on, dedicated and ardent attempts were made to keep them from spreading, to no avail. So it's not as if nobody noticed the potential and didn't try.

    These matters are all interlinked. I see from some more articles I'll pulled up, I have more reading to do.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Buzzzzzzzz kill LATimes - The loss of billions of bees raises questions

  • dekprizm
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Folks,

    Happy 1st day of spring!

    I saved some 4 o'clock tubers last year because I wanted to see test the difference between winter sowing seeds and planting out tubers. I have a few questions:

    1) Can I plant the tubers out now in containers? It is 70 degrees here today in greater Boston area but we know that won't last!

    2) I'm not sure about positioning of the tubers in the soil. The tubers have a couple of root-like looking tentacle things that I would assume point downwards. Is that correct or are they supposed to go side-ways? I forget how I found them!

    Thanks Winter Sowers!

  • mastergarder2003
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I use to have 4 o clocks at our first house, they grew on the east side of the house, between the foudation and the drive they were the hot pink color and smell O I miss them loved them and at night they were so [pretty about 3 ft tall in back of bed. they came up every year because of the safe place to grow I have not been able to get them to grow , I would love to try on the east side of house but no spot like before will try anyways. maybe you need to have tubers like above. they are lovely, and diffrent. thick stems but do fall over at times and can break off. but well worth it.

  • Pamchesbay
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ellen - you aren't wrong. A few years ago, the snakehead fish from Southeast Asia was found in ponds and waterways on the East Coast. The snakehead breathes air and uses its pectoral fins to "walk" or move over land.

    The fish is a delicacy in SE Asia. Wildlife believed SE Asians brought it into the country.

    Wildlife people drained ponds, trying to capture the fish before it could reproduce or move into other waterways. I haven't heard anything about the fish recently and don't know if they were successful.

  • friesfan1
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My 4 o'clocks get around 3 ft high. I only have yellow.
    I need to mix in some new colors. I love them. The
    sphinx moths and butterflieslove them too.
    I don't hardly ever see humming birds in my area.

    I never have to WS these as they come up like
    crazy in my zone. Along with the dreaded morning glory
    which I made the mistake of planting about 3 seasons
    ago. A real pain to get rid of! ugh.

    Mary

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