Seeds from My Garden

Four O’Clock

Mirabilis jalapa

Four O’Clocks are full of surprises. The trumpet-shaped flowers open late in the day, and one patch can produce pink, yellow, white, striped, and speckled blooms.

Two vivid pink Four O’Clock flowers blooming among green leaves in Amelia's garden

Light

Full sun to part shade

Sow

¼ inch deep

Soil

Average, drained soil

Habit

Tender perennial

Atlanta planting calendar

When to plant

Mid-August: hold these seeds for spring. Start indoors 4–6 weeks before the last frost or direct-sow in April after frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed. Four O’Clocks can flower quickly, but a mid-August start gives them too little growing season before frost to be worthwhile.

Research checked against UGA Extension’s fall pollinator guidance, UGA’s Southern herb guide, Iowa State’s perennial seed guide, and University of Maryland’s native-seed guide. Weather varies, so shift spring dates when frost arrives unusually early or late.

How to sow

Soak the large, hard seeds overnight to help them get started, then sow about ¼ inch deep after frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed. You can also start them indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost.

How to grow

Give them sun and room to form a bushy plant. Water while seedlings establish; mature plants tolerate some dry weather. In cold-winter areas they usually grow as annuals, though their tuberous roots may survive where winters are mild.

What to expect

Flowers usually begin opening in late afternoon and may stay open into the next morning. Hummingbird moths and other evening visitors may stop by. The marble-like seeds are easy to collect once they turn black and drop readily.

Seed-sharing note

These seeds came from plants growing in my garden. Seedlings are individuals, so they may not look exactly like the parent plant—and that is part of growing from seed.

From my garden

A closer look

Yellow and white Four O’Clock flowers with magenta markings in Amelia's garden — Yellow and speckled blooms growing in the same patch

Round black Four O’Clock seeds beside a dime for scale — Four O’Clock seeds beside a dime for scale

Ridged black Four O’Clock seeds beside a dime for scale — Another batch of Four O’Clock seeds beside a dime for scale

A note from my garden

“I never know exactly what colors will appear next, which is part of their charm. Please keep the seeds away from children and pets—they should not be eaten.”