Mirabilis jalapa is one of the most fragrant shrubs that can be planted in the garden.
Mirabilis jalapa main facts
Name – Mirabilis jalapa
Family – Nyctaginaceae
Type – perennial, annual
Height – 2⅔ inches (0.8 m)
Exposure: sun (full) – Soil: ordinary, draining – Flowering: summer→mid-fall
Its flowers open and close daily on a set schedule! Follow these easy steps on planting, care, watering and blooming to grow wonderful Mirabilis jalapa shrubs in your garden.
Mirabilis jalapa is often sold in small pots at garden stores or horticulture centers.
Keep 12 inches (about 30 cm) between plants upon planting in the ground, give or take a couple inches (⁺∕₋ 5cm).If a friend has Mirabilis jalapa growing, simply ask for a few seeds. Mirabilis jalapa readily starts from seed.
Mirabilis jalapa will rarely grow any taller than three feet (one meter). It won’t be necessary to trim or prune it.
However, you should know that you can increase blooming by snipping wilted flowers off from the plant. This will both trigger new flowers, and extend the blooming season.
Mirabilis jalapa tends to spread quickly. The problem isn’t spreading through roots or branches. It’s related to the high amount of seeds that the plant produces, which tend to germinate easily.
Sometimes birds gobble up seeds and spread them in their droppings.
If you want to control growth of your Mirabilis jalapa patch, simply pull out young seedlings that you feel are too numerous in spring.
Mirabilis jalapa is a flower shrub that was domesticated by the Aztecs in South America. “Jalapa” is actually an old name of present-day Veracruz. In ancient times was a major city of the Aztec nation.
Mirabilis jalapa flowers last only one night. They open up in the middle of the afternoon – hence its common name the four o’clock flower – and close at dawn. A new batch of flowers opens up on the next day.
A single Mirabilis jalapa bush can bear flowers of different colors. They’re very fragrant in the evening and night.
For more summer flowers, provide flower fertilizer during the blooming.
Stop fertilizing in fall.
Yes, Mirabilis jalapa is one of the most fragrant shrubs available for gardens. The flowers are very fragrant in the evening and night, which aligns with their blooming pattern of opening in the afternoon and closing at dawn.
Mirabilis jalapa will rarely grow any taller than three feet (one meter), making it a relatively compact shrub. The article does not specify the exact time frame to reach this mature height.
Mirabilis jalapa readily starts from seed. You can start seedlings indoors or under a greenhouse tunnel in March and transplant to the growing bed in May, or plant seeds directly in the ground in May. If a friend has the plant, you can also ask for seeds, which germinate easily.
Mirabilis jalapa requires full sun exposure to grow well in the garden.
You can increase blooming by snipping wilted flowers off the plant, which triggers new flowers and extends the blooming season. Additionally, providing flower fertilizer during the blooming season will produce more summer flowers.
