Find a plant:

OR Browse All Plants


Mirabilis jalapa (Four o'clocks, Marvel of Peru)

Mirabilis jalapa Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner


Be the first to rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Mirabilis jalapa meer-AB-ill-iss jah-LAH-pah Common Name: Four o'clocks, Marvel of Peru Genus: Mirabilis
This bushy perennial has oval, deep green leaves on branched stems. In summer, blooms appear: fragrant red, pink, magenta, yellow or white flowers with a delicate, faded-vanilla aroma. Flowers open in late afternoon and die by morning.
 Care: Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Protect with a mulch or lift tubers in winter where marginally hardy. Protect from excessive winter moisture.
 Propagation: Divide tubers in spring.
 Problems: White rust, brown rust, and leaf spot.
Height 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Light Full Sun Only
Moisture Dry to Medium
Characteristics Fragrant Flowers
Bloom Time Summer
Flower Color Pink Flower; Red Flower; White Flower; Yellow Flower
Uses , Beds and Borders
Seasonal Interest , Summer Interest
Type ,Perennials

Plants you might also like

Argyranthemum frutescens Argyranthemum frutescens
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Argyranthemum is often mistaken for or offered as Chrysanthemum. It is a great plant in containers where it isn't hardy. A. 'Jamaica Primrose' and A. 'Vancouver' will survive in Zones 7-11.
Melampodium leucanthum Melampodium leucanthum
(Blackfoot daisy) (1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A native perennial shrub that grows to about 2 feet tall and wide and covers itself the whole season with honey-scented, white and yellow daisy flowers. The foliage is typical of the aster family. Plant en masse in a well-drained border or use in a rock garden. Blackfoot daisy can be short-lived.
Cosmos atrosanguineus Cosmos atrosanguineus
(Chocolate cosmos, Black cosmos) (3 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A chocolate scented flower! Dark red-brown, sometimes almost black, velvety flowers on long, slender, reddish brown stems bloom from early summer to autumn. Chocolate cosmos is a tuberous-rooted, tender perennial native to Mexico that can be overwintered indoors where not hardy. Grow in a border or in containers where the flowers can be appreciated up close. They also make good cut flowers.
Hibiscus trionum Hibiscus trionum
(Flower-of-an-hour) (1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A seldom-seen annual or short-lived perennial, this easy-to-grow plant performs as the perfect filler in beds and containers. It forms a well-branched compact mound of deeply lobed, dark green leaves, which provide an interesting textural backdrop to its charming, hibiscus-type flowers. The flowers are truly stunning with their cream petals, purple-hued undersides, and deep burgundy centers. While each flower lasts only a single day, the plant blooms profusely all season and produces inflated seedpods. The flowers will not normally open on a cloudy day, but this is a small price to pay for such a gem of a plant.
Nicotiana alata and cvs. Nicotiana alata and cvs.
(Jasmine tobacco, Flowering tobacco) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This short nicotiana bears fragrant, flat, star-like flowers in many colors: crimson, purple, wine, rose, pink, lime green, and white. It is a day-bloomer with uniform size and compact habit. Cultivars vary in height: from 'Domino' (12 inches),  'Nicki' (20 inches), and 'Sensation' (36 inches), up to 'Grandiflora' (48 inches), as well as flower color and foliage. Blooms face upward or horizontally and remain open in full sun.