Want to grow a flower that has about every color of the rainbow in its bloom? Try four o’clocks, a shrubby like annuals which bloom in mid-summer till frost.
Four o’clocks get their name from the time of day that they open. They open around four o’clock because of a temperature change and not from the time of day closing the next morning when the temperature increases. On cloudy days they also will stay open because of the response of lower temperatures. Staying open during the night, the flower makes use of the night pollinators like moths. After the flower stays open it will fade and wilt the next morning.
Another name for this plant is the Marvel of Peru denoting its native region. It was one of those flowers that settlers passed along to one and another like hollyhock seeds. The early flowers were a solid color of red, white, pink, yellow, or purple. Now with breeding that has the variety called Jingles, which are all of these colors on one flower is various patterns changing colors as the plant gets older.
My plants get around 2 ½ foot tall and wide. The plants prefer full sun and some moisture with fertilizer. If your plant goes dormant, give more water.