Searched on "4 O'Clocks" and this discussion came up. Nice old discussion! In my area (Maritime NW) I have never seen 4 O'clocks in the nurseries and big box stores. I'm speculating that's because most of their flowers are sold in bloom, and 4 O'clocks bloom when larger. They probably don't bloom in little 6-packs or even in 1-gallon containers. I'm guessing about that. Also, if the flowers are not reliably open when the stores are open, people might not buy them. I bought seeds via the internet. Feeling nostalgic about gardening from my childhood, and these 4 O'clocks were part of that. I grew some about 10 years ago and as I recall they did OK here. I'm more into gardening now than I was then, so maybe they'll grow better. Plus I have a deer and rabbit problem, and maybe they'll be resistant to those animals. Maybe. I read start them 6 to 8 weeks indoors before the last frost, for cool climates like mine. They can also be planted in the ground, but maybe will start blooming later. A packet has plenty of sees, so I can try both. Nice discussion! I've lost the experiences of older gardeners in my family, and it seems there aren't a lot of gardeners in my neighborhood, so it's up to me to discover what works and what doesn't. Pass-along plants like these are worth preserving for the next generation!

My four o'clocks reseed like crazy too. And everywhere. So I don't think it will matter when you WS them. The only critters that eat my four o'clocks are the JP Beetles. I find them belly up on the leaves all the time. As many four o'clocks as I wind up having in the yard, it still seems the JPs munch on other things too. They seem to really like Knotweed the most...so if I get one of those annoying but pretty Knotweeds sprouting somewhere in the yard, I plant it strategically and only let it stick around until after the beetles are gone (don't want tons of reseeders of that stuff! I dig it up and burn it!) Linda

Hi Everyone, I was at Home Depot in Orillia and they have clematis' on for $5.00! Some where combinations of 2-3 small clemtatis' plants together so you have blooms at different times in the summer. Some were not combinations and marked with their names. Regardless, I picked up 4! Where else can you get 4 clematis plants for $20 bucks! Canadian Tire in Lindsay had them on sale for $6.99 last week, but they go back up to their regular price of $9.99. Anyone seen the following on sale or for a good price: "Endless Summer" Hydrangea Echinacea "Double Decker" (a.k.a. Doppelganger) & ÂRazzmatazz Semi-Dwarf Nectarines "Fantasia"

Hi tova, Yes I grow mini roses. I tried one outside in the garden last year......and it came through. I covered it with peatmoss, then covered that with burlap, then put a tomato ring around it. Then I covered all of that with a thick layer of straw. It looked dead in the spring.....but evenually I could see some new growth on the bottom branch. I cut back all the other branches when I was sure that they were dead. Its about a foot high now and has two open flowers on it, and lots of buds. Usually the grocery store mini's are rooted cuttings with 4 cuttings per pot. If you have these.....its best to seperate the individual plants, to allow them more room to grow. I have two of these.....a red and a yellow....that I divided shortly after I got them. They are all very big plants now.....although most are in planters that I will probably bring in for the winter. I also have 3 others that I bought as individual plants from a nursery. It was a cutting that I took from one of these......that I tested outside. I don't know the varieties of any of them.....but I would think that some would hardier than others. Definately cover them in the fall. Let us know how they do next spring. Sierra