The Fast-Growing Perennial Flower You Can Plant In Spring For Its Beauty

If you're eager to start enjoying the beautiful splendor of flowering plants as soon as possible, you need one of the fastest-growing flowers to plant from seed for a flourishing garden. Why not go with a perennial with a quirky blooming schedule that supports nocturnal pollinators? Fast-growing four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) are among the stunning plants that bloom at nightstarting in the late afternoon, hence their name.

Four o'clocks, which bloom with sweet-smelling flowers from summer to fall, have some fascinating color tricks up their sleeves. You'll find four o'clocks in shades of red, pink, yellow, and white, including variegated, bicolored, and speckled variations. Their most showstopping trick is to produce flowers of different colors on the same plant.

Four o'clocks are also one of those dazzling self-seeding flowers that'll attract hummingbirds to your yard, along with bees and butterflies. This flower's host relationship with nocturnal pollinators like the sphinx moth is responsible for its unusual blooming schedule. Four o'clocks are easy to grow since they're heat- and drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and have no significant disease or pest issues. One downside, though, is that all parts of four o'clocks are toxic if ingested and may cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, or diarrhea, as well as contact dermatitis if you're handling the roots.

Though four o'clocks are perennials, they are grown as annuals in many areas. Four o'clocks are cold hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10. You can start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost in your area; plants started indoors will bloom sooner than their direct-sown counterparts. Soak seeds in water overnight before sowing. Use a seed-starting medium, sowing seeds only around ½ inch deep so that light can still reach them to promote germination. Expect seedlings in seven to 10 days, and harden them off outdoors before planting.

Plant seedlings or directly sow seeds in rich, well-draining soil in a sunny spot. Four o'clocks prefer full sun, meaning they like receiving least 6 hours of light per day. Give growing plants about an inch of water weeklyand apply a light fertilizer when you see new growth. You can expect to enjoy your four o'clocks' gorgeous evening blooms in around 60 days. 

Some gardeners avoid four o'clocks because of their tendency to spread through self-seeding. While they have been known to wander beyond garden borders, these flowers are only considered invasive in the U.S. in one national park in Hawaii. The flip side is that the plants provide seeds you should be harvesting from your garden and replanting. Deadheading blooms will help keep seeds from spreading, but if you want four o'clocks to come back next season, leave a few fading blooms on the plant to self-sow. You can also dig out the tuberous roots of four o'clocks before the first fall freeze, store them indoors, and replant the next season.