4 O’Clocks and Dirty Faces

I was outside today with the very sweet child whom I often refer to in my head, as Dumbest-Child-In the World (or d.c.w.)
“ A white, furry spider is flying at me!” she screamed in a high C that shattered all the glass in the nearby buildings.
There are no white furry spiders,” I said.
“There!!” she pointed, in dulcet tones, which caused a mini-sonic boom.
It was the milkweed seeds which proliferate like bunnies along our garden. She has seen them daily for at least 3 years. I have given lessons on them…
With her knowledge really does lesson from day to day!

While gardening with kids today a woman stopped by.
“I love what you are doing with this garden,” she said.
“I own the big brick building at the end of the street, the street being the corner of Bonsallo and whatever runs parallel to 23rd,
“I would like it if you would plant outside my building. I will pay for plants, and if you want to try to install a dip I’ll pay for it.”
“Can we mosaic too?” I asked.
“Yes,: she said, I give you permission to get as creative as you like.”

There is a long stretch of land on the mystery street. On Bonsallo there is another long stretch broken by cement cobbling. We could faux marble these.
I will, of course give her an estimate and not purchase without a check or cash in hand.
But it’s a lovely offer.

It’s nice to know that all our neighbors aren’t like the “environmentalist” next door, who wants to pave their stretch of parkway.

More lovely neighbors! Our lovely neighbor and master Gardener, Vanessa has planted agapanthus in our garden a purple surprise!
Agapanthus is known as “Lily of the Nile”, because it is not a lily. All species of Agapanthus are native to South Africa
And some of my kids planted Mirabilis jalapa (The four o’clock flower or marvel of Peru)

Nice, as I feared the garden might be dead!

Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico. Mirabilis jalapa is said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540.
This plant is “wonderful,” because there are flowers of different colors on the same plant.

Different color variation in the flower and different color flowers in same plant.

Variegated flower on a four o’clock plant.

Naturally occurring color variation on four o’clock flowers.
Additionally, an individual flower can be splashed with different colors. Another interesting point is a color-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink color. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet.

The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, hence the common name, 4 O’clock, then producing a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance.
Despite their appearance, the flowers are not formed from petals – rather they are a pigmented modification of the calyx. (A calyx is the plural of sepal. A sepal is a part of the flower, usually green, that are under (or around) the more conspicuous petals. )Both sepals and petals are modified leaves.
4 O’clocks, like most night fragrance plants are pollinated by long-tongued moths of the Sphingidae family, such as the sphinx moths or hawk moths and other nocturnal pollinators.