The illustrated growing guide
Four O'Clock (Marvel of Peru)
Mirabilis jalapa
Family Nyctaginaceae
Est. zones 2-11
A delightful old-fashioned bush with its own clock — fragrant trumpet flowers opening in the late afternoon and staying open all evening to feed hawk moths and hummingbirds, often in several colors on one plant. Fast and easy from seed, drought-proof, and it makes tubers you can lift and store like dahlias, growing bushier each year. Note the seeds and roots are toxic if eaten.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts hummingbirds
Attracts beesI
Overview
Will four o'clock (marvel of peru) suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what four o'clock (marvel of peru) actually needs.
Life cycleTender perennial, grown as an annualFour O'Clock (Marvel of Peru) at a glance
Common four o'clock (marvel of peru) problems
- Almost none
- Almost none
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow four o'clock (marvel of peru): light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate four o'clock (marvel of peru)
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The year
What four o'clock (marvel of peru) asks for, month by month.
The four o'clock (marvel of peru) year, month by month
BloomWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
The four o'clock (marvel of peru) year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar quiet month
- Apr quiet month
- May quiet month
- Jun bloom
- Jul bloom
- Aug bloom
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Four O'Clock (Marvel of Peru) in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer perennial
- Nectary/insectary
What four o'clock (marvel of peru) is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesSeeds and roots TOXIC if eaten — grown ornamentally
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of four o'clock (marvel of peru), ruled as a catalogue.
Best four o'clock (marvel of peru) varieties & cultivars
'Broken Colors' (marbled); 'Limelight' (gold leaf); mixed-color strains
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to four o'clock (marvel of peru)yet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Four O'Clock (Marvel of Peru) questions, answered straight.
Is four o'clock (marvel of peru) safe for kids and pets?
With care. Seeds and roots TOXIC if eaten — grown ornamentally Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate four o'clock (marvel of peru)?
Division or seed.
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Elsewhere
Where four o'clock (marvel of peru) sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily