Hi! I just read on another thread that Four o'clocks protect lilies. I have some seeds that I received in a seed swap. Can a lily expert confirm or deny whether this is true?
Four o'clocks protect lilies?
I'm no expert but I too have significant self-seeded 4 o'clocks in and around many of my lilies. They serve to protect the lilies in as much as they are so profuse as to shade the ground the lilies grow in and seem to be a favorite fodder for Japanese Beetles.
If they grow as annuals for you then I would say they are OK. Here the tubers winter over and come back every year and would definately not be a good companion for lilies. The tubers grow very deep like a huge carrot. I can't even kill them with round-up so you can see in this situation they would not be good for lilies. Both of you are in colder zones where they probably would not survive, but for those in higher zones: beware!
In what way do they protect lilies? Can you recall the thread where you read this info?
There was no explanation. someone had traded her/his seeds away, then apparently discovered the four o'clocks were good for lilies - thought I should check it out. I think four oclocks must be annuals here in Massachusetts.
I think they repel the japanese beetles
How far? If they just repel the JBs from the lilies only to sic them onto the roses, it's not much of an advantage :-)
Found this:
The attributes of an old-fashioned plant named Four o'clock have become more important because of the changing environmental adversities that have been experienced by the Texas gardening public. Texas gardeners desperately need a plant which will :
1) flourish in periods of severe drought and water restrictions, i.e., listed among the most drought tolerant : Cockscomb, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Four o'clock, Moss Rose, Petunia, Purslane, Verbena, Zinnia
(2) will bloom in less than full sunlight situations, i.e., listed among the most Shade or Semi-Shade Tolerant: Begonia, Bellflower, Coleus, Dwarf Lobelia, Four O'CLOCK, Flowering Tobacco, Impatiens
(3) is deer and rabbit tolerant in that it is not a preferred plant for deer and can recoup rapidly after being damaged by deer, dogs, and other varmints,
(4) is fragrant,
(5) is a long-lived tuberous perennial and reseeding annual, and
(6) is one of a very few hummingbird and butterfly plants for shady growing conditions.
The skeptics may wonder why this wonderful plant has not been promoted before now. The simple answer is that this plant is so adapted and tenacious, it is sometimes considered invasive, i.e., one person's trash is another person's treasure OR familiarity breeds discontent. Or maybe it is because the flowers do not stay open all day -- flowers are not responding to an internal clock but to temperature so the flowers open in the afternoon, about 4 o'clock. Usually, the flowers close the following morning, but if the day is cool, they will stay open until the new flowers open. In the Hellish summer temperatures of Texas, folks can only enjoy their flowers in the late evening anyway and four o'clocks provide beauty and fragrance during that cooler time of the day.
My Grandfather planted 4 o'clocks and marigolds around his garden used to deter insects. I have a clump of mixed marigolds at all four cornors of my veggie garden. I do it every year and it does help some.
Thanks for the feedback :-) I guess I will be growing four o'clocks next spring!
And don't forget, Four o'clocks can be grown as a caudiciform houseplant.
Japanese beetles feeding and procreating on 4 o'clocks.
I don't think anything is safe from them this year! They ate my lilies, lily buds, daylilies, rose's, iris's, mock orange, wisteria, coneflowers, they just don't care!! It's aweful here!!
How quickly do they die after eating four o'clocks? do you find their little carcasses on the ground under the four o'clocks?
I usually find them on the ground dead soon after I spray them with an insecticide.
Lefty says: And don't forget, Four o'clocks can be grown as a caudiciform houseplant.
Ok, does that mean they are "bonsaid" (is that a word?)? I mean, they grow like 5 feet tall here and flop over....
Hi , I have been gone on vacation for 2 weeks, came home a week ago, and right away my sister told me about 4 'oclocks and Roses, that they attracted and killed the dreaded JP. I have grown 4 o'Clocks for many years cause my Mama did and I ove the scent.l I think they kill JP.
Jmorth, cute. :) They drop like rain when I dust them with Seven, too. But, does anyone know how long it takes them to die after eating the 4 o'clocks?
For me at least, they don't need to be bonsaid inside the house. They seemed to do it themselves. Dig up a small tubber (if you can find a small one). Cut the stem off. Replant in a very, very small pot, with the top of the tuber showing above the soil. It will resprout. Inside the house, it won't grow so vigorously, because even in your sunniest window, it's like shade outside. After the initial growth cycle, which will probably be tall and gangly, it will simmer down and be shorter, and, believe it or not, almost demure. I had one for many years. It would grow about 6-10 inches, bloom, even produce seed if you wanted, and than naturally die back to the tuber. (Or could it have been my constant neglectfulness?) Give it some relative dry time, or not. In 2 weeks to a month, it will be growing again and repeat the cycle. When it's growing inside the house, seasons didn't seem to affect its growth cycles much. I imagine it went through 4-6 growth cycles a year.
I had no idea they could be grown like this. But then again my main purpose in life has been to try to kill them all. No such luck. I just checked and there are a ka-zillion seedlings in various stages of growth so I could try several at different stages and see how they do. I need another house plant like I need a hole in the head...