(Mirabilis jalapa ‘Rose’)
Rose Four O'clock is a tender perennial flower that is native to Peru but can be commonly found growing in most of the southern, and some of the northern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 24-36” and features 4” dark green leaves and fragrant rose colored 2” cylindrical, five petal-like lobes. This plant can be grown in a container, it attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, it's resistant to deer, tolerates drought, self sows, is even both edible and medicinal!
Genus: Mirabilis
Species: jalapa
Variety: Rose Four O'clocks
Native to: Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua
Introduced into: Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arizona, Arkansas, Ascension, Assam, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Baleares, Bangladesh, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Bulgaria, Burundi, California, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Cayman Is., Chagos Archipelago, China Southeast, Christmas I., Colombia, Connecticut, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Desventurados Is., District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Easter Is., Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, France, Free State, French Guiana, Galápagos, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gilbert Is., Great Britain, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Haiti, Illinois, India, Indiana, Italy, Jamaica, Jawa, Juan Fernández Is., Kentucky, Kenya, Korea, Kriti, Laccadive Is., Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Libya, Louisiana, Madeira, Malawi, Maryland, Mauritius, Mississippi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nevada, New Caledonia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, Nicobar Is., Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, Northern Provinces, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pakistan, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rhode I., Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Is., Somalia, South Carolina, Southwest Caribbean, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Texas, Thailand, Tokelau-Manihiki, Trinidad-Tobago, Tristan da Cunha, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, West Himalaya, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe.
Also Known As: Marvel of Peru.
Grown as: Perennial: 9a-11
Annual: 3a-8b
Maturity (Blooms): Summer to Fall
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Water: Medium
Soil Moisture: Medium
Attracts Beneficial Insects?: Yes. Attracts a number of important pollinators, including a variety of native bees and several types of butterfly, including the Monarch butterfly. Locate this towering plant behind shorter wildflowers.
Containers?: Yes. You can plant four-o-clocks in 1 to 5 gallon-sized pots growing 2 to 5 plants per pot depending on the pot size.
Height: 24-36"
Spacing: 12-24”
Sow Depth: 1/8"
USDA Zone: 3a-11
Produces: 4” dark green leaves and fragrant rose colored 2” cylindrical, five petal-like lobes.
Plant in a full sun or part shaded bed in well-drained, compost-amended soil. Sow seeds or transplant seedlings 1 to 2 feet apart. You can also plant four-o-clocks in 1 to 5 gallon-sized pots growing 2 to 5 plants per pot depending on the pot size. Keep the containers well watered and fertilized monthly.
Separate the green leaves that were around the base of each flower before the petals fell. Locate the large black seed nestled in the center of the old flower.
Slip the seed out of the center of each dead flower with your thumb. Alternatively, snip off the old flower heads then remove the seeds from the old flower heads.
Spread the seeds out on a paper plate in a single layer. Dry them in a low-moisture, warm area out of direct sunlight for five to seven days.
Store the seeds in a tightly sealed jar or container in a cool, dark area until planting. Label the container with the four o'clock variety and year harvested.
In herbal medicine, parts of the plant may be used as a purgative, diuretic and for wound healing purposes. The leaf juice is used to treat wounds. The leaves are diuretic, while a decoction is used to treat abscesses. They are used to reduce inflammation.
The root is considered a diuretic as well as an aphrodisiac and purgative. It is used in the treatment of dropsy. A paste of the root is applied as a poultice to treat muscular swellings and scabies. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of diarrhea, fever, and indigestion. The powdered root, mixed with corn flour (Zea mays) is baked and used in the treatment of menstrual disorders.
Some gardeners plant Chinese Southern giant mustard (Brassica juncea) in borders to divert flea beetles from their cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, mustard and collard greens). Four o’clock (Mirabilis), which attracts Japanese beetles, then poisons them with a toxin in its foliage is another good companion.
Suggested Varieties
(Brassica oleracea 'Purple Sprouting')
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Purple Sprouting Broccoli is an Italian heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to the Mediterranean region, but was introduced to the United States not long after they were listed in the French Vilmorin-Andrieux seed catalog in 1885. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 18-36” and features thin stem, side shoots of loose clusters of 3-5” purple florets, and bladed leaves. This plant can be grown in a container, is rabbit safe, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Calabrese Green Sprouting')
Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli is an Italian heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to the Mediterranean region, but brought to America by the D'Arrigo brothers between 1904-11, and first offered to the public in 1923. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 30-36” and features erect stalks, 6” bluish-green centered floret, multiple side shoots, and yellow flowers. This plant can be grown in a container, is rabbit safe, tolerates light frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Waltham 29')
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Waltham 29 Broccoli is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to Waltham, MA., where it was developed by the University of Massachusetts in 1950. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 18-24” and features a 4-6” blue-green central broccoli head, and side shoots that bare 1” florets. This plant can be grown in a container, is rabbit safe, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Early Jersey Wakefield')
Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to England, but was first grown in the United States in 1840 by Francis Brill of Jersey City. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 12-18” and features dark-green, conical heads averaging 5" in diameter and weighing 2 to 3 lbs. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts earwigs, is rabbits safe (in moderation), can be used as a trap crop for aphids, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Late Flat Dutch')
Late Flat Dutch Cabbage is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to the Netherlands, but was first offered in the United States by D. M. Ferry & Company in 1924. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 18-24” and features blue-green flat 12” heads that weigh up to 15 pounds. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts earwigs, is rabbit safe, can be used as a trap crop for aphids, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Red Acre')
Red Acre Cabbage is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to southern Europe, but is commonly grown in the northern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 12-18” and features reddish purple round heads that weight up to 3 pounds. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts earwigs, is rabbit safe, can be used as a trap crop for aphids, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica rapa 'Pak Choi')
Pak Choi Chinese Cabbage is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to southern China, but has been commercially grown in the United States for more than 100 years. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 6-18” and features a head of smooth, dark green leaves with thick white stalks. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts earwigs, is rabbit safe, can be used as a trap crop for aphids, tolerates frost, and is edible.
(Brassica oleracea 'Vates')
Vates Collards is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to Virginia, where it was developed by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station in 1950. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 24-36” and features non-heading, slow-bolting dark green, thick textured leaves. This plant can be grown in a container, is rabbit safe, tolerates light frost, and is edible.
(Brassica juncea 'Red Giant')
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Red Giant Mustard is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather biennial vegetable that is native to Eurasia, but can be found growing in gardens throughout the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 12-18” and features large rosettes of purplish/red foliage that has pale green veins. This plant can be grown in a container, deters flea beetles, is rabbit safe, tolerates light frost, makes green manure, and is both edible and medicinal!
(Brassica rapa 'Tendergreen')
Tendergreen Mustard is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather biennial vegetable that is native to the Mediterranean region, but can be found growing in gardens throughout the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 10-18” and features large oval shaped, dark green leaves with light green ribs and thin white stalks. This plant can be grown in a container, deters flea beetles, is rabbit safe, tolerates light frost, makes green manure, and is both edible and medicinal!