Yes! I do too! I also found out by accident. Last fall I almost threw out my first attempt at growing from these from seed, sad they did not bloom and thinking they were ordinary annuals. Then I learned that the tubers can be saved - which is what I did - they were tiny and I had little hope for them. But, I planted them this spring and happily I had my first big and bushy 4 O'Clocks - saved their seeds as well. And what huge tubers this year when I dug them up! A great plant.

Anna

Hello,
I am new to this forum, but I saw this posting. I saved my 4:00 tubers in a pot last year and they came up this past year.
I have a booklet from I believe Dutch Gardens and it described how to over winter 4:00. Put the carrot like tubers in peat moss in a paper bag and store in a cool area that will keep them from sprouting too early.
I am trying this method this winter so I will find out how successful it is.
I checked them earlier - so far, so good as they are on the dryish side.
Cheerios :-)
KA - Gerry

Sometimes 4 o'clock tubers will even overwinter outside in zone 5. I seeded a 1/2 packet of mixed colors near my house wall awhile back. Used the other 1/2 of the packet the following season in another spot also near the house. I have had 4 plants return each year for the past 3 years, two in each spot, 3 of which are yellow. All are very close to the house wall and grow much taller & bigger than the original seeded ones. There have been reports on the forums about others who have had them overwinter in cold zones. So if you have any in a sheltered area right next to a wall you might also try leaving a couple & see if they return.

Mine are next to a patio, not really sheltered. They have to be coming back though, because they were even bigger this year, much bigger than the newly seeded (Broken Colors) varieties. These are also yellow. I had some cream ones come back a second year in another area, but they didn't get as much sun and didn't come back this past year. The ones closest to the house barely bloomed the first year from lack of sun, and didn't come back.

jrstark, sorry I should have said that my over-wintering 4 o'clocks are along my house walls which face south or west - so their is lots of sun. Also my soil is heavy wet, very wet, clay soil with serious drainage issues so spots near the house are about the only ones dry enough for bulbs & tubers. Both of us have fortunately found little micro-climates in our gardens for 4 o'clocks. :~) Maybe BlueAng and the others who love these plants will be lucky too!

I came home one day to find my neighbor cutting down her 4 O'Clock plants saying that they were weeds and didn't like them. The previous owner of the house planted them long before I moved in next door and I've had the privilege of watching them grow and bloom for over 30 years. I talked the new neighbor into letting the plants finish their growth last Fall so that I could harvest some seeds. The trouble is... I just put them in a bowl and let them sit on the counter over the Winter. Do you think that they will still sprout and grow?

nematoad,

One way to find out is to place the seeds on a damp paper towel. Space them out about one inch apart. Then carefully roll the damp paper towel up and place it in a plastic bag. The plastic bag will help to keep the seeds damp. But you don't want them sopping wet. Check the seeds in a few days to see if they have germinated. Some seeds take longer than others to germinate. Four o'clocks usually take 5-9 days for me. Once they germinate, they need to go in the ground immediately or they will get moldy.

Four o'clocks really do grow like weeds in Florida. But in my opinion, they smell better than any other flower in the world!