Mirabilis Species, Heartleaf Four o'Clock, Nightblooming Four o'Clock, Wild Umbrellawort

The children discovered this delightful plant this last weekend and brought some to me. I had never seen it before, but on a walk discov...Read Moreered a whole lot of this at the edge of the gravel road. A glorious showing!

It is native to most of the contiguous United States and grows best in waste places, like where the counties incessantly grade the gravel roads, or along railroad tracks. Though the county has to maintain the roads, it does look as if they are letting the milkweed come up along the edges, which allows this Four O'Clock and other native plants to grow when they could not do so before. We are surrounded by a monoculture desert of corn, beans, overgrazed pasture; to see natives allowed to grow wild is so refreshing!

It is said the seeds are easy to start, and no cold stratification is needed. If you have poor soil and want natives, give this plant a try. It needs full sun and pretty dry conditions, so don't water much at all. Deer do not care for this plant.

Native to North America, this hardy perennial is a pest to farmers, as it disperses viable seed each year, as well as having a hardy, per...Read Moresistant tap root.

Its heart-shaped leaves are reminiscent of those of Syringa (lilac) shrubs; hence one of its common names.