JHeirloomSeeds said:A little history on Marvel of Peru/Four O'clock I just posted on my blog. It was sitting in my drafts since last April, waiting for cold weather to put me in the mood for writing again.
http://heirloomcottagegarden.w...

@JHeirloomSeeds

Interesting blog on Marvel of Peru. Rather than hyjack the "history" thread, I thought that a thread on Mirabilis jalapa would be appropriate.

I started growing them about 10 years ago. I purchased one from Wayside Gardens called 'Hot Glow'

For about 5 years I dug up the roots in the fall and stored them in the cellar with my dahlias, the process was the same. In 2014 I stopped doing this because it was easier to let the plants re-seed. The only disadvantage to doing this was that if you saved a really bid root, you would get a really big plant.

I have tried many different varieties: Mirabilis jalapa 'Broken Colors', Mirabilis jalapa 'Custard and Cream', Mirabilis jalapa 'Hot Glow', Mirabilis jalapa 'Limelight', Mirabilis jalapa 'Marrakesh', Mirabilis jalapa 'Pink Pinwheels', Mirabilis jalapa 'Stars and Stripes'

Hot Glow was always my favorite.

Thank you! Beautiful pictures! I haven't tried saving the roots yet. How much bigger does the plant get when grown that way?

I am just estimating maybe 6-12" taller and wider.

Next would be the volunteers. These usually do quite good, but you do not know exactly what color flowers you will get.

And last, starting seeds early indoors. Even if you buy fresh seeds, I have found that you really don'e know what colors you will get until after they bloom.

I have never tried directly seeding in the garden

It would be interesting to save a tuber or two, just to see the difference. Maybe I'll give it a try next year if I can find a good place to store them!

It is easy to over winter Mirabilis. I ended up using the "Saran Wrap" method I used for my dahlias. Dig them up, trim and divide, wash and let dry, and wrap in Saran Wrap. Put them in a paper bag and store in the basement or some other dark and somewhat cool place for the winter.

Here is another...

Mirabilis longiflora, Common Name: SWEET FOUR-O'CLOCK, Size: 2x3ft., white, USDA Hardiness Zone TP, Michigan Bloom Month 8b

Also sometimes called Angel's Trumpets. face of the flower is about the size of a dime, tube may be 4 to 6 inches long. The flowers exhale the scent of orange-blossom from midsummer until frost. The plant is mounded like Datura inoxia to 2 feet high by 3 or 4 feet wide. Self seeds.

I only planted this once. Volunteers pop up every year.

Mirabilis jalapa grows in my alley behind a dilapidated garage. It's surrounded and partially covered by oaks, emerging oaks, and I know not what. I don't know if it was planted by a human or by birds.

Knowing that when the garage will be torn down, all of the 'shrubbery' will be gone. On more than one occasion I've tried to get a tuber, admittedly without using the best tool for the job.

A few months or so ago I was able to get partial tubers (they're deep!) and thought, 'What the heck. Might as well pot up a few. Nothing to lose.'

Our weather this year has been up and down and all around. October set new records for rainfall. The other day it was 70F and today it's 41F. Despite or perhaps because of this, those small broken bits of tubers are still alive and, I think, growing.

I've been surprised that little 'chips' off of a tuber could survive. Will continue to monitor my little science experiment. Curiosity abounds.

Have you tried to collect the seeds?

I haven't grown Mirabliis longiflora yet but would love to! My main concern as a seed saver is that they might cross with M. jalapa? Does anybody know if they will or not?

Mine never did. they were about 10-15 feet apart.

Good to know! I wish there was more info out there about saving flower seeds, what will cross and what won't! There is plenty about vegetable seeds!

Mirabilis jalapa 'Broken Colors', Common Name: Four O'Clock, Size: 3x3ft., striped and splashed, USDA Hardiness Zone TP, Michigan Bloom Month --

Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico. Mirabilis jalapa is said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540. Lots of color variation on the same plant.

Oh I love that first flower! What a beauty!
Jalapa (or Xalapa) is a city in Mexico (the state capital of Veracruz). However, this plant got the name because it was mistaken for the true Jalap (Ipomoea purga), which is native to Mexico.

Here is a group of 3 Mirabilis that I had planted on the east fence line. I believe these were from seed started indoors.

I planted them for the first time in 2018. I planted three different packages. Cottage Garden Mix, Kaleidoscope which is a streaked form and another that I can't recall the name of. There were several beauties among them. In particular a red and white streaked one. And perhaps strangely a beautiful clear warm glowing yellow. I saved a lot of seeds and hope for good germination.

I am going to order some seeds for 2019:)

Ebay, what the...

15 Salmon Sunset Four O'clock Flower Seeds - orange 4 oclocks mirabilis jalapa

$2.50 shipped, worth a try:)

Selectseeds has an orange, waiting for the new catalog

Over here in "Tidewater" Virginia, I had noticed seeing them grow for years, near the ocean front in Virginia Beach. & other nearby cities, too...I guess the root tubers overwintered successfully in the sandy soils, around this area. I had seen huge tubers for sale, at tone of he local garden centers, too.Those used to grow sometimes, over 5 feet tall by July.& August. They tend to grow like weeds,here ,once you have a few plants set seeds! Some, had really long flower tubes, maybe from having been crossed with others, by hummingbirds. A western species of hummingbird was reported to have been seen near Williamsburg, VA. But I have yet to see any but Ruby Throated' & recall, one bird used to come by & visit me, upon its' arrival, each spring, over a period of about four years. I am fairly certain, as it was always a female, that stopped by, as I had my coffee on the front porch & there was a huge trumpet vine, growing up the brick, eventually up to the roof (almost three stories up.)
I am fairly certain they pollinate pineapples too, as one I got the other day, ( from Costa Rica, maybe?) had numerous seeds, I had removed, after slicing it up to eat. Some Four O'clocks do tend to open up earlier than others, & afternoon shade in summer, may help flowers open up a bit earlier.Fragrance is better at night.

Wait! What did you slice up to eat?

@tx_flower_child Pineapple, probably pollinated by humming birds, as it had lots of seeds.