Good morning,
I have an ugly area that gets strange sun -- a lot has died there. Because of it's location, and the type of trees situated around the area, it doesn't get much sun, but what sun it gets is direct and hot.
So I have this packet of four o clock (Peru) hierloom seeds. This plant has always seemed interesting to me. It seems that online gardeners either love them for their reliable low maintenace or curse them with all their might for being invasive and impossible to get rid of. I haven't seen many of them around here in Dallas.
So what do you think Texas gardners - shall I throw them out or no? The area is separated by a concrete drive and also set back about ten feet from my perennial beds (where I wouldn't want a large shrubby invasive plant to take over).
If anyone has expereience with this plant in Texas I'd love to hear about it.
Many thanks,
T
Four o'clocks - yay or nay?
I, for one, love 4 o'clocks. They are bright and cheerful and again if you don't like them they can be dug up, Round-uped, etc. or give them away to someone who does like them.
Ann
Well, T... I'm sitting on the fence on this one. I DO love the blooms, the faithful blooms, the low-maintenance, drought tolerance. However.... if you DON'T want hundreds more the next season, you MUST go out and pluck the seeds off daily. And I mean DAILY, and even then you end up with those that you just can't help but miss. sigh.
Because ours started in my veggie garden, RoundUp is NOT an option. So tedious, back-breaking weeding is necessary. NOT a happy camper.
When I plant the seeds for my yellow ones, I will make SURE it's off in a remote area of the yard, much like you described, far FAR away from my perennials but esp. from my veggie gardens.
love them/hate them.
~ Carole
I think Four O'clocks are great, and for the area you are talking about just right.
Josephine.
I have had them for over 5 years. They have not been as invasive as I thought that they would be. As young new plants appear, I dig them up immediately. I think that they would be okay in that area.
Thanks so much for the feedback.
Well, I did it. Not too many, though. I pushed about 8 seeds into the ground around an area that gets morning sun a wee bit filtered and hoped for the best.
I ended up putting them in a different area than I originally asked about. After staring at it for an hour, I concluded that it gets mostly shade but also about a combined hour of hot sun. So I started second guessing myself about the area being too much shade?
Anyhow -- the southeast side of my house in front of and between my happy hydrangeas has just been four o'clocked.
Now - I'd like to toss the rest of those seeds into that original ugly area of dirt farther back that gets mostly shade but a bit of hot sun (which scorched my "shade only" plants). I'm thinking of doing the four oclocks, columbines, and not sure what else there.
Could the four oclocks do oaky and bloom with that much shade?
Also sowed coneflower, cosmos, peppermint zinnias, and another tomato - just couldn't resist.
Thanks again,
T
I have two well behaved 4 o'clocks. They do get BIG. Mine are in morning shade, then afternoon sun (for about 4 hours), then shade again. They bloom and smell great. They are well established, but haven't become invasive.
I had some for the first time last year and the hummingbirds set up camp in them. We thought that it was moths at first there were so many. But they were very curious creatures and would get right up in the face of anyone who got close and got a "birds eye" view. lol
It was really cool. Of course this year i have many many more 4 oclocks. I really didn't want them right there but oh well the hummingbirds like it and the the 4 oclocks can do battle with the apple mint and morning glories that are going rampant in that bed. lol
I have them planted around trees in an almost completely shaded area--only dappled sun, and very little of it. They do great!