{"product_id":"four-oclocks-strega","title":"Four O'Clocks, 'Strega'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e(Mirabilis jalapa) \u003c\/em\u003eThis botanical party originally came to us from our dear friend and collaborator Lane Selman of the Culinary Breeding Network who gathered the seed from wild roadside plants in the village of Castiglione di Sicilia - north of Mount Etna in northeastern Sicily, close to her familial home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe writes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eI love these flowers as they remind me of my Sicilian grandmother who always had them in her yard in Florida where they are perennial plus self seed prolifically.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlthough my grandmother only had the common solid hot pink\/purple variety, a cool thing about them is they can have flowers with different colors growing simultaneously on the same plant. Some flowers have splashes and streaks of multiple colors on individual blooms. And it’s possible to have different combinations of flowers and patterns occurring on different flowers of the same plant.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe name \"four-o'clock” comes from the flowers opening in the late afternoon or early evening (between 4:00-8:00). The blooms produce a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance throughout the night which attracts Sphingidae moths and other nocturnal pollinators which pollinate during the night before the flowers close for good in the morning. New flowers open the next day.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThese plants are originally from tropical South America and arrived in Europe in 1525 as an ornamental species. In Italy they are called 'bella di notte', which means 'beautiful during night'.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlants stand about 4' and are covered with blooms, from hot pinks to electric salmons to neon yellows and any streaked combination of the three. The name \"Strega\" is Italian for \"witch\" and is an apt descriptor for the genetic sorcery that is at play in the plants. Much of the unpredictability of pattern and coloration in the blooms is a result of transposons (or \"jumping genes\") which move around chromosomes disrupting what would normally be predictable color expression with wild splashes of patterning and color.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first in our new \"Random Italian roadside 4 o'clock biodiversity project\" in partnership with the Culinary Breeding Network. Annual in zones 7- and possible perennial (tubers) in zones 8+.\u003cbr\u003e80 days. UO\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePacket: 20 seeds\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e[split]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGrowing Info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSOWING:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSow indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTransplant after last frost (soil temp around 65F)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDirect sow after last frost when soil temps are 65F\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNote:\u003c\/em\u003e May self-sow but not aggressively. If you are concerned, deadhead often! If you are having trouble with germination, you may nick the seeds and soak overnight before sowing. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePLANTING DEPTH:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e1\/4\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSPACING:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e2' \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEMERGENCE:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e7-14 days @ soil temp 65-75F\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLIGHT:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFull sun to mostly full sun \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFERTILITY:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAverage. Prefers well-drained, and evenly moist soil but are drought, heat, and poor soil tolerant. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eADDITIONAL NOTES:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile not absolutely necessary, you may provide staking or netting to keep them upright and tidy. They do tend to support each other and have a lovely upright habit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou may pinch them, but honestly they need very, very little from you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrought, heat, and poor soil tolerant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRabbit and Deer resistant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAttract hummingbirds, butterflies, and nocturnal pollinators! Flowers open late afternoon and remain open until morning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTubers may be dug for storage (like dahlias) or left in the ground depending on your zone (zone 8+). \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLove them in the garden as they are not suitable for cutting.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Uprising Seeds","offers":[{"title":"Pkt","offer_id":42288802562281,"sku":"FOC-ST-pkt","price":4.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100 seeds","offer_id":42288802595049,"sku":"FOC-ST-100s","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0504\/6203\/2046\/products\/strega2.jpg?v=1640764291","url":"https:\/\/www.uprisingorganics.sbs\/products\/four-oclocks-strega","provider":"Uprising Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}