The native four-o'clock, also known as showy four-o'clock,
is a great plant to add to your dryland garden. This plant is native to
about 8000 feet from southern Colorado, across Utah to Mexico.
Before planting the showy four-o'clock, here are some facts to keep
in mind. It thrives in full sun and dry soil that drains well. Once established,
the native four-o'clock becomes a large, shrub-like plant 18 to 36 inches
tall and 36 to 60 inches wide. It can quickly overwhelm smaller plants
that have been planted nearby.
The four-o'clock's mass of foliage will die back to the ground in the
fall. It reappears late the following spring only after the soil temperature
warms. It is a long-lived perennial that blooms from July to September.
The four-o'clock has handsome gray-green foliage and showy, rose-pink flowers
that are trumpet-shaped and open in late afternoon and evening.
© Colorado State University Cooperative Extension,
Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Industries of Colorado, Inc. 1998, 1999.
Cineraria Varieties
