Every season, we’re constantly trying to advance our knowledge of biology and different species. We find a lot of joy seeing a plant develop for the very first time.
One such example for this season, we are trying to grow 4 O’Clock’s this year. We had heard about them, but we just never prioritized them. That’s the way it goes when there are literally thousands of things you can grow.
If we enjoyed a warmer growing zone, these “pentunia-esque” flowers are known to perennialize in zone 7 and above. However, a lot like Dahlia, 4 O’Clocks are a tuber and can be overwintered in colder climates by simply digging up and storing that tuber.
Some plants are a little “boring” in how they grow, many look very similar. We still enjoy them, but we also love seeing super distinctive growth that’s unlike every other plant we grow from seed. 4 O’Clocks are certainly scratching that itch this season!
In case you’re curious about how we experiment with new species? Honestly, we just go for it. We usually just throw new seeds into our standard germination process and see what happens. In hindsight, 4 O’Clock’s probably should be germinated in a larger space than a seedling tray!
We rarely do research on a new species, either. To us, it kind of takes away from the novelty if we know exactly what to expect. We like learning from our experience and mistakes as it helps anchor it into memory better.
We’re looking forward to seeing how these guys develop, it’s always so exciting to observe a new species. Hopefully we’ll get some tubers we can overwinter and we’ll try our hand at that, too!
