4 o'clock!

Now that it is warm, I keep the windows open as often as the weather allows. I love to hear the birds..even the Mockingbird that sits on the rose arbor and sings all night! I love to hear the toads and frogs as they chirp their love songs..even though their shrill song is not unlike fingernails on a chalkboard! I love to watch the fireflies (lightning bugs!) flit by the window screens! I love the sounds, sights and even the smells of the night! This morning early, (about 4 am) the wind shifted and suddenly the most delightful aroma filled the room! Ahh..4 o'clocks right on the button! Yep, the Four O' Clocks were blooming and their heavenly scent filled the room! I know that they do not necessarily always manage to bloom exactly at that time..as matter of fact the blooms open in the late afternoon and stay open all night. I just happen to notice their scent at 4 am because the foul odor of a dirty dog was pleasantly surpassed with sweet-smelling flowers! Thank goodness for flowers! Ezzy had played hard yesterday..she played fetch for quite some time with a young nephew and chased squirrels all afternoon. There are five of them that keep her going from one tree to another..so she works up quite a stench. Sweet smelling..she ain't! So I appreciate anything that will improve the air! Four O'Clocks are so named because of their habit of blooming late in the evening. Here it is more about 6 o'clock but hey..who's keeping track of the time? They actually do not have a set time to open, it hinges on the cooling of the day. Once the sun starts to set, the air cools and it triggers the opening action of the trumpet shaped flower. The scent starts to fill the air in order to lure moths and other night insects to come pollinate the blooms. It just happens that I have them planted in the flower beds near the windows!

Four O'Clocks came originally from South America but have become naturalized in here in the Deep South even to the point of becoming considered a nuisance plant if left unchecked. The mild winters allow the deep seated tubers to overwinter with no trouble and the reseeding habit of the plant is highly prolific. They are easy to keep in check, though, by simply dead-heading or by hand picking the seeds. These lovely little blooms come in so many different colors that it would be difficult to chose a favorite and each will brighten any garden. In South America, the plant is used medicinally although here all parts are said to be poisonous. So..just to be on the safe side..do not ingest! The flowers are used to make dyes which in itself is an interesting use!