Saturday, September 20, 2008
Things That Go Bloom in the Night
Four O’Clocks Sparkling in the Sun
One of the true delights of the garden can often be experienced just about dusk when the fragrance of the flowers that open in the very late afternoon permeates the air. Two flowers with delightful smells that come to mind are the angel’s trumpet (brugmansia) and the four o’clock (mirabilis). Just last night I had the wonderful pleasure of experiencing both. Four o’clocks come in a variety of colors from yellow to red and seem almost to be iridescent in the late afternoon sun. (You can almost guess how they got their name – the flowers open about 4 pm each day.) They grow about three or four feet high and almost as wide. The beautiful trumpet shaped flowers smell heavenly. Four o’clocks die back with the first frost but they will reappear from the roots in the spring. They don’t seem to be troubled by pests or disease. If they have any drawback, it is the fact they can reseed prolifically from the hard black seeds they form – to the point where they can take over and become a pest themselves. But if you plant them in the right place (a part to full sun spot) where you are not concerned with how many you have, that one little drawback won’t be a problem. A friend gave me my first one years and years ago and I still have its grandchildren coming up in the most unlikely places. I simply pull them up if they appear where I don’t want them and enjoy the heavenly scent and the vibrant flowers where I do want them.
Another perennial with a delicious smell, the angel’s trumpet, begins to put on its show this time of the year. This woody plant grows best in full sun to light shade (loving a respite from the afternoon summer sun). I have likened it to a 300 pound gorilla as it thrives on water and fertilizer enjoying a dose of water soluble fertilizer every two weeks or so. Although they love water, they must have good drainage and they thrive on rich soil. They will die back with the first frost when they should be heavily mulched. It is very easy to make more angel’s trumpets by simply rooting the stems. Angel’s trumpets can get huge, up to 8 feet or more high depending on which one you have and almost as big around. Their beautiful pendulous blossoms remind us of a horn (a trumpet). They come in an array of colors, with both double and single blooms, and I can honestly tell you that in full bloom they will stop traffic. Datura is the annual angel’s trumpet and the blooms point up instead of hanging down. Angel’s trumpets will live in a very big pot but will need protection from the winter cold.
Like all plants, this one does have its negative – all parts of it are very poisonous. So if you have small children or puppies who like to taste everything, this is not the plant for you. Admire it in someone else’s garden.
Enjoy the late summer night air and inhale deeply as the smells of summer can be as tantalizing as its colors.