(Mirabilis jalapa ‘Marble Mix')
Marble Mix Four O'clock is a tender perennial flower native to Peru but grows in most of the southern and some of the northern United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 24-36” and features 4” dark-green leaves and cylindrical five-petaled blooms. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, is resistant to deer, tolerates drought, and self-sows!
Genus: Mirabilis
Species: jalapa
Variety: Marble Mix 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
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 Zones: Annual: 3-7
Perennial: 8-11
Produces: 4” dark green leaves and fragrant, multi colored 2” cylindrical, five petal-like blooms.
Poison Severity: Low
Poisonous Parts: Roots & Seeds
Spring Planting:
To plant Four O' Clocks in the spring time, the seeds will need to be started 6-8 weeks before your areas last frost date. There are three different mediums you could use to stratify your seeds in a refrigerator which is normally determined by the size of the seeds you are stratifying: a potting mix, sand, or a napkin. Choosing the right medium is important because it is impossible to separate super tiny seeds from a potting mix or sand later on.
Germinating Four O' Clocks Seeds:
1) Fill seed starting trays to within 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the rim with moist soil mix.
2) Firm the surface with the back of your fingers, then scatter seeds evenly over the medium.
3) Sprinkle a little additional soil mix over seeds until they are 1/4" below the soil and add a label with the plant name and date.
4) Cover the finished pots with plastic and set them in a warm bright place or under lights at a room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit .
5) Keep the soil moist as the seedlings sprout and develop. Move the pots into direct sunlight to continue growing.
Temperature: 65 - 70F. Ideal 70F.
Average Germ Time: 10-14 days
Light Required: Yes
Depth: 1/4"
Moisture: Keep seed moist until germination
Transplanting Seedlings into Larger Pots:
1) When your seedlings have two sets of true leaves, pot them up into a larger container filled with a soil mix.
2) 1 week after the last threat of frost, harden off the seedlings in the garden for about 10 days.
3) Once the seedlings have been hardened off, you can plant them in the garden.
Transplant your seedlings into the garden once the soil has warmed after all dangers of frost. Four O' Clocks prefer a rich, loamy, well-drained soil that has a pH between 6.2 and 7.2 in an area that offers at least 6 hours of full sun. Too much shade will cause your plants to get leggy and produce less blooms.
When outdoor temp: 63˚F to 82˚F.
Spacing: 12-24"
Support: No
Temperature and Humidity: Four O' Clocks are from warm weathered Peru which has 90 different microclimates, including 30 of the 32 world climates, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world in microclimates. Four O' Clocks are very heat tolerant and grown as perennials in zones 8-11, and are hardy up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (with some help) and grown in lower zones as an annual.
Fertilizer: If you do not have rich soil, your O' Clocks will require a monthly feeding of a balanced fertilizer beginning in spring. Use a balanced fertilizer. if you do not have rich soil.
Pruning: To promote a bushier growth habit and more flowering, pinch back the main shoot when the plant is young.
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.
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 juncea 'Florida Broadleaf')
Florida Broadleaf Mustard is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to Eurasia, but has been growing in the United States since the 1920's. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 12-24” and features semi upright stems, oval, dark green, toothed leaves, 1 1/2” yellow flowers that have 4 petals, and long seed pods that contain black/dark brown seeds. 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 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 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 '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 '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 rapa 'Tatsoi')
Tatsoi Chinese Cabbage is a heirloom, hardy, cool weather annual vegetable that is native to China, but is commonly grown in the United State. At maturity, this plant reaches the height of 12” and features low-growing plant that forms a rosette of dark green spoon-shaped leaves. 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 '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!