Plant record · Perennial
Is Colorado Four O'clock deer resistant?
Mirabilis multiflora
Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- Type
- Perennial
- Light
- Part shade
- Height
- 36–36 in
- Maintenance
- Moderate
- Native range
- 7 US states
Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.
About Colorado Four O'clock
The flowers open in the late afternoon and are closed again by morning, so this is an evening plant rather than a midday one. Magenta trumpets sit in the leaf axils of a bushy, blue-green, repeatedly forked mound, April into September. Deer show little interest.
Gardeners get the spacing wrong, not the soil. It grows fast and it lives a long time, and a small pot becomes a rounded plant close to three feet high and as much across, so a gap sized for a clump will not do. Give it dry, rocky ground instead of an improved bed and put it where it can stay.
Part shade suits it as well as full sun, which is unusual in something this drought-hardy, so a hot west-facing wall is not the only option. Site it by a door, a seat, or the top of a wall it can spill over — somewhere you pass at dusk.
Similar to Colorado Four O'clock
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Common questions about Colorado Four O'clock
- Is Colorado Four O'clock deer resistant?
- Colorado Four O'clock (Mirabilis multiflora) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- Does Colorado Four O'clock grow in shade?
- Yes. Colorado Four O'clock tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Colorado Four O'clock get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.
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