Have to post again, I don't see my reply here. Strange!

That's pretty! Those look like M. jalapa. Do yours have a fragrance?

Mine still look about like they did in the last pic I put in this discussion but I did trim some off because it was leaning. Is that the one you meant? (I found it using the search thing at the bottom of the HP forum page, not the one at the top which searches all forums.) I'm just glad all the excess rain this summer didn't rot it, that killed some of my plants.

We're still sleeping with the windows open here, was 82 yesterday. Looks like next week we could see something starting with a 4 at night, though it goes back up after that, next weekend. Who's in on that? Just remember, the cold air y'all blow down here for winter will be retaliated in the form of excessive heat and unbearable humidity next summer, hurricane remnants, just sayin'...

Purple,

After posting, I realized I should have typed something like, To Purple....Sorry about that.

YOU got me started on Mirabilis. lol.
Well, not really..I sowed hardy Mir seeds on the side of the house years ago. They are VERY fragrant.

The very day after reading your thread, I searched for 4o'clock seeds..'different from hardy types.'

Oh, thanks for posting your post. I'll check after submitting.

Anyway, it's rained, almost daily since snapping this photo. When I took the pic, I was on the walk, 'approximately 10-feet away,' so couldn't get a closeup photo or take a sniff.

If they're fragrant, I can't smell the blooms, unlike hardy Mirs.

Purp..since I bought two packets, 'knowing they're annuals,' I dug a hole in the garden, and tossed the entire packet of seeds. lol.

The packet says they're Peruvian Mirabilis, but I'll check jalapa.

Leaves and blooms differ from hardy Mirs. They're not as tall so doesn't require staking. My hardy Mirs lean. Do yours?

Also, flower colors are so pretty on Peruvians. There's two striped, but not showing in the photo.

I took a pic the other day. Want your opinion.

{{gwi:106687}}

Do you notice a difference???

Yep, very familiar with the Search Button you mean.

82!! I'm packing my belongings and heading south. lol.
So, all your plants are still outside? Sheesh,, I'm green with envy...

Farmers Almanac says we're going to have a very cold/icy winter. Gee, can't wait. NOT!

Purp, many of my plants are stil outside, includng Hoyas and Calatheas. Temp is 46F...at 7am, it was 43F.
As far as I know, it hasn't been under 32F. Still!

One problem. Well, you know about Coco..So, I've been driving to vet and my doc as well.

I have to wash bedroom walls/windows before hauling in bedroom plants..Also need to wash LR windows, then tape plastic over panes. Otherwise, cold air leaks in, and some plants freeze.

Since this is a solo job, it's taking time. Everyday plants are brought indoors..but each need soaking in the sink with soap and vinegar, dried on sink, then placed in their homes.
Remaining plants outside can't come in until windows are cleaned and plastic-ed. 'my home-made word.'

As I type, 5 plants are in the sink.

Purp, if I could control the temps, it sure wouldn't be icy.. your area and others would not have horrid weather next year. Unfortunately, it's not up to me. :)

Wonder why your post didn't show???

I think you really do want my honest opinion, I put your pic on full screen and just don't see anything different from M. jalapa. What part looks different to you? I wonder if the older, more mature plants you have are just so much bigger? Different amounts of sun making them look different? I've noticed over the years, there can be some variation in the leaf shape of these plants, especially on a new seedling vs. a plant several years old.

But hopefully someone who has grow other Mirabilis would chime in. There are supposedly other species, but I've never seen them, AFAIK. So what to compare to?

Don't think any Mirabilis are true annuals but not totally sure. Pretty sure none would be expected to be hardy in Z5 without being in a micro-climate situation. It's not unusual, against the house, for plants to survive that are supposed to be out of their zone - especially bulb/tuber/rhizome type plants. My one plant was in the ground in Z5 for many years. Against a basement wall is an excellent micro-climate, warmer, dryer. This particular plant has so many anecdotes of surviving in Z5, the first that comes to mind for me.

About leaning, I think it just depends on how much foliage they grow before stopping to bloom. Most individual plants do lean, but not in a way that requires staking, at least to my eye. Trimming off a chunk on the low side is easier, IME, if something is needed. They usually still look fine even if leaning, unlike a Dahlia which can't hold its' blooms off the ground, or even in a position where they can be seen.

Most of those I've grown from store-bought seeds in the past decade didn't have fragrance. I've been saving seeds from this plant I know is fragrant. There should be enough plants for me to feel like removing some of the non-fragrant ones next summer, at least that are duplicate colors. I'd like to get a patch of scented multi-color plants going.

I'll never understand why anyone would want a non-scented version of a fragrant plant. I think it just depends on the luck of the gene-draw, whether any individual M. jalapa plant has scented flowers or not. Saving seeds from your fragrant plants would probably be the best best vs. buying new ones.

Just starting last weekend to move furniture and smaller items into winter position to make room for plants. Jack Frost could technically appear anytime now, but should still be a few weeks away. I've told you before, you would love the winter weather down here but even where I am, I dream of being farther south... Maybe for retirement?