Mirabilis jalapa has a different timetable from most other plants. So much so that one of its common names is Four O’Clock Flower/Plant or just Four O'Clocks. This bushy perennial likes to sleep in late and only opens its flowers at about 4pm, keeping them open until the next morning. Meanwhile it emits the scent of vanilla into the evening and night sky!

The yellow, white, pink or sometimes red four o'clock flowers and are trumpet-shaped and bloom from early to mid-summer right through to autumn. Mirabilis jalapa has a long life and reproduces easily – so easily that it can be necessary to control it so it doesn’t escape your garden and compete with indigenous vegetation. Putting in that effort is however definitely worth it!