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Science-based gardening information for Colorado communities from CSU Extension, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Industries of Colorado.

1049 – Four-O’Clock (Mirabilis sp. L.)   arrow

What is four-o’clock?

The native four-o’clock, also known as showy four-o’clock, is a great plant to add to your dry land garden. This plant is native to about 8000 feet from southern Colorado, across Utah to Mexico.

What should I consider when planting four-o’clock?

Before planting the showy four-o’clock, here are some facts to keep in mind. It thrives in full sun and dry soil that drains well. Once established, the native four-o’clock becomes a large, shrub-like plant 18 to 36 inches tall and 36 to 60 inches wide. It can quickly overwhelm smaller plants that have been planted nearby.

Is four-o’clock a perennial or annual?

The four-o’clock’s mass of foliage will die back to the ground in the fall. It reappears late the following spring only after the soil temperature warms. It is a long-lived perennial that blooms from July to September. The four-o’clock has handsome gray-green foliage and showy, rose-pink flowers that are trumpet-shaped and open in late afternoon and evening.

For more information, see the following Colorado State University Extension Fact Sheet.

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