Four O’Clocks, ‘Fairy Trumpets’

(Mirabilis longiflora) Our love for Four O’clocks is well-documented at this point. So named because their flowers open in the afternoon and grace the evening garden with their intoxicating scent before closing the following morning, they are also known as Bella di Notte (“beautiful in the night”) in Itay where they grow wild on roadsides and in disturbed areas. I find them to be a good litmus test to find the kind of people I can get along with in life as they offer nothing of monetary value to the grower, being neither edible nor suitable for cutting. They are not for the “utilitarian grower” but for the lover of beauty and those are my people.
‘Fairy Trumpets’ is a different species than the other four o’clocks we offer, notable for the impossibly long necks to its tube flowers, 6″ to 8″ or longer (“more like Fairy Trombones if you ask me” – Meira, age 7). The sprawly, sticky plants are covered in the blooms and in the evening, the jasmine green tea scent emanating from them is nothing short of ambrosial. White flowers with magenta throats and contrasting orange protruded anthers remind us of miniature hibiscus blossoms. Plant some in a hanging basket outside your bedroom window or alongside a garden path frequented in the evening. Plants are heat and drought-tolerant and moth pollinated. Grow to 3′ tall and wide.
UO. 85 days

Packet: 20 seeds

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Sow indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost.

Transplant after last frost (soil temp around 65F)

Direct sow after last frost when soil temps are 65F

Note: May self-sow but not aggressively. If you are concerned, deadhead often! If you are having trouble with germination, you may nick the seeds and soak overnight before sowing.

PLANTING DEPTH:

1/4″

SPACING:

18-24″

EMERGENCE:

7-20 days @ soil temp 65-75F

LIGHT:

Full sun to mostly full sun

FERTILITY:

Average. Prefers well-drained, and evenly moist soil but are drought, heat, and poor soil tolerant.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

While not absolutely necessary, you may provide staking or netting to keep them upright and tidy. Fairy trumpets sprawl a little more than other species.

You may pinch them, but honestly they need very, very little from you.

Drought, heat, and poor soil tolerant.

Rabbit and Deer resistant.

Attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and nocturnal pollinators! Flowers open late afternoon and remain open until morning.

Tubers may be dug for storage (like dahlias) or left in the ground depending on your zone (zone 8+).

Love them in the garden as they are not suitable for cutting.