I got scared b/c of enthusiastic nature so no

I did but never again, too invasive.

I do grow it, but it is very invasive.

I have them and they are beautiful in full bloom. They do re-seed but very easy to pull out if you need to thin them out.

Throw them away ! I kept them for a long time because they were one of the few things in my garden that my mother knew from her childhood (she lived next door to me). They are very invasive, and hard to dig up when you do finally decide to get rid of them. Their tubers grow large and deep. I tried to get rid of them years ago and I'm still poisoning large ones that I am finding, as well as pulling up hundreds of babies I find in the lawn. They are pretty. They do smell nice. But it's not worth it.

They are so easy to grow and so very pretty; also I dearly love the scent, but because they spread so rapidly I ended up moving them to the back easement where they flourish with absolutely no care whatsoever and I can still enjoy them.

There are many lovelycolors available now, so since you've ordered the seed I'd say go ahead and enjoy them for two or three years. Just know they produce huge tubers that are not easy to dig out after they are in place for very long.

Patty, I was typing the same time you were.

If you pull up the seedlings while they are small they do not form tubers?

Also if seeds start growing in a lawn, mowing them should put a stop to them, right?

My neighbor from 15 years ago brought over a 4 o'clock plant. I love, love, love the scent of the hot pink blooms, but they do spread so easily. I allow them in certain areas and pull or dig them from areas where I prefer something besides 4 o'clocks. Mowing will control them. I don't think that they will form tubers if pulled small. When they emerge in spring, the plants that come from seed are very green but those from tubers have a bronze -ish cast to the foliage. That's how I know whether I need to pull them or dig them.

It's a trade-off between fragrance and control. Our house came with a patch of Mirabilis jalapa that has reseeded every year for 15 years. The plants require no maintenance and their fragrance is always welcome in late afternoon. Their natural invasiveness is controlled on two sides by hardscape, on one side by a row of oleanders and on the fourth side by frequent foot traffic.

My old house had the old white one that got huge. I left the two old mammas and fought the babies for several years and then decided to get rid of the two old matriarchs. The tubers were HUGE and were over two feet deep devided tubers. . They looked like fat thighed mamas. It took all day to dig them out. We still fought seedlings for years. Maybe the hybrid ones are smaller. These were more like 5'shrubs.

I had them, finally eradicated them, and will never have them again. Even in the sandy soil of my previous garden, the tubers were a pain to dig out. To each his own, but I stay away from them.

Molly

I have them, and love them. As someone said they require no maintenance, and they remind me of my aunt who had a wonderful pink one by her fence. They did proliferate, but they're easy to pull out and give away or compost.

If you are a gardener that thinks excessive weeding is not maintenance, go for it. Maybe they seed less in different soils.

Thank you all for your input. I am going to go ahead and plant some, but in areas where it will be relatively easy to pull up any unwanted seedlings.

Does this plant grow well in containers? I have a bunch of pots that Im looking to cheeply populate.

PKponder, my bench swing and picnic table are in part sun, but I think four o'clocks are supposed to do well in part sun?

My research shows that the tubers can get very large although they do not appear to move around at all, so siting them near plumbing lines is probably not a good idea so I will avoid those areas.

I have quite a few seeds since I ordered some of the regular seeds and then decided to order the Limelight seeds as well.

Quarzon I would imagine they could be grown in large containers, I don't know. Some people say that for them by the second year this plant can get from 4-6 feet tall so I would think a small pot would not be sufficient.

I never have seen a 6-foot High 4 o'clock LOL.

This woman had them in her plot next to mine at a community garden. The old time white with marroon throat one gets large. She fertilized with horse manure compost and had an aversion from pulling any seedling. Her plot was a chaos of huge old time 4 clocks. In my yard at home, The ones that grew in a pile of rock border used to level my yard above the neighbors grew to 3.5 feet. Digging out their 2 foot tubers was a real chore. When they get large like that they have a wide pyramidal form. This area was in ammended clay, the cut bank of the Colorado river in Austin. Right on the change from edwards plateau to blackland prairie. This ground had been worked by gardeners for a hundred year. It was really nice.

Just the other day , I pulled a seedling that had volunteered probably from some dirt I brought home from a swap. I don't plant them as a rule.

the cut bank of the Colorado river in Austin. Right on the chase of edwards plateau to blackland prairie.

Sounds like paradise, I love the whole Austin area,

That was "Change" not "chase". Darn that computer. It was a beautiful place to garden in. I was a block from the river on the north side. Highly amended clay with cobble. HUGE oaks. My neighbors had trees, I had their overhang . between 2-300 year old trees. I didn't realize how my life was going to change when I moved west UP into the hill country. It was gentle gardening to say the least..We were right above Deep Eddy pool.

I grow this one but keep the seedlings pulled out.

Hey there, Jim...................so good to see you posting again. How about some recent pics of your beautiful garden?!?!

Jim that is beautiful! How tall is your plant?

Monster tuber!

They get larger, much larger and getting it out "EASY" would not be mentioned. Your ground must be very sandy and fluffy very deep for it to be a easy dig.

Lol i have sucking clay or something but when i first made this bed i added cardboard & mulch that breaks down & makes it fluffy as long as it's not wet. Wet goes back to that sucking sticks to everything & will snatch your boots off muck lol

Yes, mystery Jim. We miss your pictures.

Omar

I planted seed 10 days ago and nothing. Do any of you have a picture of a newly sprouted 4 o'clock, or how long did yours take to germinate? Lows in the sixties and highs in the eighties here.

I didn't see any with the initial Cotyledon which is very rounded and looks like fat kidney beans to my eye. The picture below shows one with2 sets of new true leaves.

The next picture shows the foliage difference from seedlings and 4 o'clocks sprouting from a tuber. The one on the left is from the tuber (notice the bronze or maroon coloration) and the right is a seedling (very green).

I've planted some of the multicolored one and really don't recall how long to sprouting. I've never planted these on purpose since the initial plants that I got from my neighbor.

Thank you for the pictures. Out of all the seeds I planted, I now only have 4 plants in 2 flower beds. I had wanted more than that. However, if they grow and mature and make seeds, maybe I'll have more by next year.

They are about a foot tall now? Those 4 will grow a lot over the summer. My old fashioned pinks get about 3 to 4 feet tall and have a good 2-3 foot spread. Believe me, you'll never be without them again :-)