Nine O'Clocks

They claim to be four o'clocks. I don't know anyone who has had open blooms at four o'clock in the afternoon. Then again, the name is not specific to afternoon. Perhaps it refers to 4am. I've never gotten up at 4am to see if the flowers are still open, but I bet they are. Mine seem to open after dark, so photography is difficult. This photo was taken one evening shortly past 11pm.


This is my first year with these plants. Mine are kind of spindly, but then I did plant them in the front border, where they get sun, sun, and more sun, and very little water or attention. The flowers are smaller than I expected. They may be hibiscus-shaped, but they are not hibiscus-sized. If I could get the plants to be bushier and full of blooms I think they would be nice, though. I've read that these form tubers that can be dug and stored over winter. I've not had much luck overwintering dahlia tubers, but maybe four nine o'clocks will be more forgiving.