4 o'clock

Not sure what type this one is, I call it sherbet. They remind me of my grandma, even when I am not sure she had them in her garden. Weird, I know. If you have never grown flowers from seed this one has got to be in the top five easiest plants to grow, so consider giving it a try. Best part is that once they start flowering you can get an unlimited supply of new plants for free as once the flower fades you will see what looks like black peppercorns and those are your new seeds. The info I have read about them talks a lot about how they open about the time the sun is going down...blah blah...lovely ground cover...full or partial sun..blah blah blah...but I have never read about their perfume. Man-oh-man! It is the most subtle and sweet and wonderful fragrance you can ever imagine! That is why you may want to consider planting them near places where you like to hang out in the evening and morning. I always bring a couple of flowers inside to have the home smell pretty.

Positives: wonderful colors, subtle perfume, not fussy about soil, takes full and part sun...perfect to plant next to flowers that open only during the day and close up at night, like, say...white buttercups. Suitable for container gardening.

Negatives: in my experience, just like dill, it hates being transplanted. The ones I carefully transplanted last fall died shortly thereafter.

And speaking of flying shoes, I know that flowers that open only during the day and close up at night have a name...but cannot remember it, at any rate, what I find interesting is the reason why they do that. They do it to stop nocturnal critters that offer no cross pollination benefits from "stealing" the nectar & pollen they are trying to protect so that the real beneficial pollinators can get on with the business of helping the plant do its thing. Neat, huh?


For those of you keeping tabs on my translating promises...it is coming...probably tonight.