Desert Four O'clocks

When Clara recovered from the headache of spending $100 and a day of her life planting "blacklisted plants," she shifted, "botanical"
, gears. What plants were friendly to the desert Southwest?, "botanical"
, As she looked around when first moving to Northern Arizona, observation indicated the thing to do was to bring a little of "home" to the desert—Minnesota,, "botanical"
, Missouri, Massachusetts? She wondered if only people from "M" states desired verdant gardens…It took awhile to remember,, "botanical"
, "botanical"
, neighbors from Wyoming, Wisconsin and Washington—all "W's".



"This is insane!" she grumbled. "How am I supposed to know what to do? I don't remember any county, city or homeowner association guidelines that explain the state's 'banned botanicals'! Where was the page that, "botanical"
, said gardening would be so hard?"







She laughed out loud, catching herself whining about playing in the dirt, the most primitive and benign of all pastimes, useful for its, "botanical"
, contemplative qualities as well as its products.



Just, "botanical"
, then a beautiful photograph caught her eye. Such, "botanical"
, a profusion of fuchsia she imagined could only exist in the tropics…She, "botanical"
, picked up the nursery insert…"What are these? They seem vaguely familiar,, "botanical"
, "botanical"
, ." She flashed back to her grandmother sitting on the front porch snapping beans, "botanical"
, in the late afternoon, around 4:00.



"That's it! Four o'clocks!" Pleased with her natural recall, she scoured the ad for confirmation, just, "botanical"
, in case! Mirabilis froebelii, Desert Four O'clock. It was so similar to the four o'clocks she'd, "botanical"
, known as a child, she wondered about the word "desert."







Clara quickly looked them up on the Internet, just to make sure they were native, "botanical"
, . Being misled once by well-meaning nursery, "botanical"
, professionals was enough for her.



As with healthcare, she calculated she was the only one responsible, "botanical"
, for her environment.







"Hmmm…look at this, Hon," she announced. "These flowers don't have petals. The 'flower' part is actually part of the sepal. Can you believe that? I wonder if you can cut them and put them in a vase?"



"Why don't you read more about it?" asked Syd, hoping to get back to the morning paper.







"Yes, it says,, "botanical"
, "botanical"
, there are 5-7 buds in each star-shaped green cup.



The leaves are heart-shaped, "botanical"
, on sticky stems. How romantic is that?" She was careful, "botanical"
, to wonder silently whether, "botanical"
, they smelled as good as her grandma's did.







In fact, she thought, "botanical"
, she'd seen some in the neighborhood, but hadn't known then what they were. The article said they grew, "botanical"
, from seeds or tubers…maybe, "botanical"
, she could strike up a friendship and save $3.



(Her Scottish blood ran close to the surface.)







"Attracts humming birds, "botanical"
, and butterflies," she mouthed silently, remembering her priorities differed from her partner's. "Blooms not according to the clock, but rather according to, "botanical"
, sun, shade and temperature approximating 4:00 in some locations. In parts of N., "botanical"
, Arizona, it may be seen blooming both morning and evening."







"Ahhh…there is a God," Clara sighed joyfully.



"Now where can I get my four o'clock starts for April blooming?"





Lin Ennis is a freelance writer and amateur naturalist in Sedona, Arizona. Please email your comments or suggestions to nature@linennis.com.