ID request - purple flowers, red stems,

Can anyone identify this plant for me? It grows in my father-in-law's backyard in Fort Worth. It grows to three or four feet and is either a perennial or reseeding annual -- there are several in the bed. It has single purple two-inch flowers that collapse after blooming into tubes. The major stems are beet red. Seeds are one per bloom, about 1/4", black, and fall easily when ready. It faces south but gets some shade from a tree overhead and, late in the summer, a shed to the west. The picture was taken this morning (11-13-11). Thanks for any help.

This message was edited Nov 13, 2011 12:36 PM

This message was edited Nov 13, 2011 12:38 PM

One more, showing the only flower I could find open this morning:

It's a four O'clock (miribilis). It blooms in the evening.

Thanks. I've been picking seeds the last few days. It looks like, based on the plant card, I can dig them and bring them over to my house, as well.

Yes it can be moved, the bulbs can get quite large, better to wait until it goes dormant.

they do well staying in the ground during the winter, too.

Yes, as Josephine said better to wait because the plant foilage would die with transplant anyway. The roots look like reddish carrots or beets and can go very deep with mature plants. Also, if you plant at your house, keep in mind that they can take morning sun but shade in the afternoon is a must.

This message was edited Nov 14, 2011 7:07 AM

LOL Sheila! Mine gets morning shade and the hot afternoon sun!

Well I bet they don't bloom at 4'oclock in the afternoon then! LOL!

They bloom later! LOL

They are also considered poisonous to consume, FYI, if you have small humans running around...

Planted one shared plant about 25 years ago. It is now all over the lot...front and back.....growing in every kind of condition imaginable. I often hack it down in various places because it can quickly overtake everything in its vicinity. I have the hot pink and the yellow. Both continuing to bloom. With no effort on anyone's part, the neighbors now have four o'clocks.

Did I mention they are terribly invasive? Never mind. I love them anyway. My brugs are also blooming....ahhhh, heaven.

Christi

Invasive you say then I need some to compete with the Honeysuckle ,Trumpet Vine ,black locust,saw briars and some othere that try to make my life uncomfortable ...

Almost EVERYTHING I grow is considered "invasive". I love it because they seed themselves and come up right where the seed falls. I have been gradually letting the natives take over. After the winter and summer we have just experienced, anything that is left is welcome. Surprisingly, my garden is ablaze with blooms. Since the heat let up the black-eyed susan and multi-belles petunia have just taken off. Just noticed as I took a little stroll that the flame acanthus has pitched seed and it is coming up between the paving rocks. No butterflies all summer and now they are everywhere. Tried get close enough to see if I have a queen or a monarch.....not sure. Many things were literately burned to the ground this summer. I cut them off because I couldn't bear the sight of so much carnage. Would you believe most of it is back blooming like it is spring. Speaking of, I just turned the a/c back on. It is hot today.

Started off with the intention of having a cottage garden. I think even that has a little bit of order. No order of any kind here any longer and I love it. Don't have a name for it. Used to have company named "LouC's Antics". Guess that will have to do.

Christi Lou

Funny my friend!! Your garden is a lovely reflection of you and your many friends, just like mine. We are like those seeds in the wind as our hearts and our interest pull us here and there. The plants are just as diverse as the people we have been blessed to get them from. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thank you for the kind words, Sheila. I sure hope Herman is doing ok.

Christi,
I find very few natives to be invasive. Flame acanthus, zexmenia, black eyed susan can reseed anywhere they want in my yard as they are very easy to move or pull up. I should have cut back more this fall but haven't yet.
C

Those 4oclocks are good for getting rid of bugs, aren't they?

Just had a message from nephew in Louisiana and he is sending me some 4 O'clocks I need to get him on Daves so he can read about all of the wonderful things we discuss everyday

I have some yellow 4 O'Clock seeds if anyone wants some. They do require you soak them overnight before planting.

Grits....Maybe you can send him a link to a couple of plantfile links or threads that are accessible to non-members. Tell him it is free to sign up to use the database. Then when he has a DG id name you can gift him a two month membership for $5.

Sheila That is so clever that is just what I need to do

It was the bait that hooked me!!!

Just needed to reply so we could bump this thread back up ,my Four O'clocks are coming up right now...

I got some 4 O'clocks in a Round Robin that were supposed to be pink and white striped. I was so looking forward to them but the seeds never germinated. My other colors did germinate. Growing from seed is usually pretty easy with these plants. I like them close to seating areas because they have such great fragrance.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2012 4:28 PM

this is about the only time of the year we have any use for a seating area ,so right now I am taking full advantage of this nice weather when summer comes upon us it is just to sticky to care much about sitting outside Of course my 4 oclocks not even thinking about blooming ..Here is a pic of a nice D utch Iris ( I think) it was here when I bought this house and this is only the second time it has bloomed

That is beautiful, grits. Is it a pink or is it white?

I love my Four O Clocks! I have the bright pink ones & I can smell the flowers from about 100 feet away when I pull into my drive. Someone gave me some seed for the salmon colored ones but they had no scent and were not very attractive, color wise. Mine come back every year for about 7 years now.

well, drats, another thing I want to plant! Love fragrance.

I have a yellow one and I have enjoyed it the past 2 years. They are very prolific reseeders, too, but the sprouts are easy to pluck out when young.

It is white with a light yellow veining

Grits, if you ever want to swap for a magenta or a sky blue dutch iris. Let me know. Yours is so pretty.

My hot pink Four O'Clocks are in full bloom & will be reseeding soon. I'd be happy to send a few seeds to anyone wanting some. Just let me know.

yesterday I spent most of the day on my knees planting first one thing then another so today any weed or plant is safe from me bending down to pluck it out ,,

I think I plucked out no fewer than 20 seedlings yesterday. It didn't take but a few minutes. I'm not young either! LOL

SweetMommy~I'd love to have some of your fuschia seeds. I keep trying to harvest some from my neighbor's plant, but haven't had any luck.

just wanted to check in on this thread as to get it back up ,The seeds that my nephew sent are just wonderfull starting from seeds i now have several plants in a raised bed that are simply great others from the same seeds not so good ,,As the saying goes location,Location a strange thing is I put 2 transplants in the raised bed at our Library project and they are not growing well at all just seem slow so I should be looking into some fertilizer maybe some Miracle gro as soon as I solve the chigger problem will get some pix of the Four O'clocks..

They love water, maybe those not doing well are not getting hit by the sprinklers as much? If you have some compost, just put a handfull at the base and work it in...for natural fertilizer. The hot days here are shortening their bloom time too.