I believe this is a quicker method for those who want results sooner.I look forward to watching these seeds germinate and will write back later as to their progress. They look all tangled up. I have a mini forest of Four O'Clocks and they return every spring from the established bulbs and the seed left from the previous year. Mine are a deep purple color and are just beautifull. Four o'clocks thrive in full sun (six hours per day) but will tolerate part shade, although the plants may become somewhat leggy in shady locations. I live in southern CT and did not expect the roots to make it through our tough winter. It is not actually the time of … Four o'clocks can be expected to bloom from mid-summer all the way until frost. Get it as soon as Mon, Dec 28. These showy flowers open in late afternoon, around 4 p.m. (hence the name) and close up again the following morning. I collect seeds from my 4 o' clocks which are called 'San Juan de la Noche' in Argentina. Jade plants are evergreen succulents with thick br... Not far from my garden there is an empty lot with a hedge of Four O' Clocks that grow an flower like mad. $9.95 $ 9. As long as I only had one color they were true to that color. Why do my large four o'clock plants keep falling forward to the ground? I had the best luck if I dug a little trench about 1" deep, sprinkled a row of seeds in, covered them with the dirt, tamped it down a bit and gave it a light drink. Four o’clock is a bush, generally 1- to 2-feet high, with red or yellow flowers. Sow the seeds in the fall when the weather has cooled down and nature will take care of it the following spring. Lelo, That's what I'm going to do next year. I've found just sticking the seeds about half an inch to an inch in the dirt, and watering them once a day in extreme heat, or every other day in moderate weather will have them growing in a few weeks. @ Carolyn, Maybe you can tell me what the secret is with these seeds then. Blooms open in the late afternoon and evening, hence the common name four oclocks. i bought the seeds at the store. The roots and seeds of four o'clocks are toxic, causing skin irritation through contact, and stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested. I bought mine on eBay, just planted them in potting soil, and when they sprouted to an inch high I planted them next to my patio, bad location, they grew to 4 feet in height and spread to 3 feet in width. They're nice and big and easy for little fingers to handle. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener. I'm going to give your suggestion a try. They seed freely here (Miami) and I'm constantly pulling them up. He mentioned that sons / people, may soon ask - what is 'Hokkien' - as the language is being spoke less and less. I wonder why they open their blooms in the morning in Utah. After 5 days open remove hard shell leave for 5 more days and check again mine had 3 large leaves and was ready to plant in soil. I remember being impatient as a kid waiting for them - it took a long time before they bloomed. In four-o'clock flowers, red flower color (R) is incompletely dominant over white (r), and heterozygous plants 15-18" tall x 48-72" wide (seed propagated). Four o'clock is perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 10 and above, which means that four o'clock may survive temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit with proper care, but will be killed by colder temperatures. Gathering Four O'Clock Seeds Four o'clocks bloom from midsummer into late fall, sending up waves of colorful flowers each afternoon as the sun sinks toward the western horizon. -- Marcia Kimball. The large seeds are easy to handle, and germinate quickly in 7-14 days. Sure do enjoy reading these nice tips. thanks. Enjoy! I put them in the sun and the potting soil kept them moist so that the seed cover softened. I collected tons of four o'clock flower seeds and planted them. I have tied for four years to grow these from seed. As for Mr. Brown Thumb not being able to germinate the four o'clocks, you might try putting some Miracle Grow potting soil in a pot and put the seeds just slightly under the soil. I find that if I put the seeds in the ground at any time and cover them with mulch they always come up in the spring. I fed them, added garden soil and mulch. https://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2010/09/four-o-clock-flowers.html I try not to pass the abandoned property very often because these plants just remind me just how much I stink at trying to get these seeds to germinate. As a newbie gardener, I am excited about the possibilities of these beautiful and abundant flowers. Plants often self-sow, so allow some spent flowers to go to seed. Where can I get my hands on those purple ones? Dig and store tubers much as you would dahlias: shake off soil, then place in a cool, dark location with temperatures above freezing. If the collected seeds lay around my house for a long time I always test them before planting by placing a few in a small plastic petri dish, on top of a moistened paper towel. Well, I'm off to my garden to try again. The seeds look like little hand grenades. When you plant these roots in the spring you normally end up with "bigger" plants. If growing your own seedlings indoors, start them six to eight weeks before the last frost. But I am certain they came back up on their own and did not require planting based on the way they were marked in the fall. If you have a lot of space--like a farm--plant one variety per half-mile. The 4 O'clocks I started them inside in the house with Miracle Grow seed starting soil, and they have all came up and doing wonderful. Just dig a tuber and let it reseed itself! Hi!Feel free to leave a comment. Try Winter Sowing (outside). So I was so happy to find this site and its blog. In drier seasons, when the plants can get a little ragged looking, a shearing back by about a third will refresh them. Do not over-fertilize, as the plant thrives on neglect! I found this site by accident. Bookmark. They just seed and reseed on their own. BUT the seedlings don't grow... whether in pots or in the ground. Since they are an annual, they just need a steady supply of water, and should have very few other needs. I followed the directions sn soaked them overnight and planted them indoors snout six weeks ago. I didn't know they would grow so far north. How to Store Then Plant Four O'Clock Tubers. The stalks look as though they are too heavy to hold upright. Then rinse and sow. I now have almost 20 plants that are 4 inches high and can't wait until the danger of frost is gone here in CT so I can plant them on my patio and enjoy the blooms during dinner! Positive: On Sep 10, 2004, CaptMicha from Brookeville, MD (Zone 7a) wrote: Planted in full sun, my 4 o'clock has taken off like crazy. Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) can take up to two years to begin flowering when grown from seed, but once they begin blooming, they provide long-lasting flowering every summer. Four-o-clocks were the first seeds I planted as a kid. This means that the flowers will only open when daytime temperatures cool off, often a lot later than 4 pm. Janie mentions overwinter although everything i read about them says they are heavy. Them aggressive germinate four o clocks have some pictures maybe i can not plant near... Night ) at night kids involved in gathering seeds trade some for another color whey... Refresh them get it as soon as they attract Japanese beetles like a lot later than 4 PM Someone me... First time last year adn they are an annual, they 'll return spring! 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