It Is Time For the Four O’Clocks To Go

Once upon a time, when we first moved here, there was a smallish sweet gum tree right in the middle of where I had determined a small lawn should grow. So B and the boys cut it down, leaving a stump. One of us thought that might be a good place to grow some Four O’Clocks. (What were we thinking?) Four O’Clocks, while pretty and fragrant, once planted, are FOREVER. We had the the yellow ones.

Eventually, B cut up the stump and what was left was burned, becoming our burn pile site. So any sticks and clippings and invasives and such that were not shredded in B’s big shredder, were piled on top of the below-ground-level stump and periodically, burned. This, however, did nothing to deter the Four O’Clocks.

When we began preparing to have our concrete poured for the new screen porch, B spent three hours one morning, dealing with burning the pile. When it was down to only ashes (and Four O’Clocks!), he let it sit until the next weekend. He dug out all the Four O’Clocks that he could find before he moved some sod, from where the slab would go, and used it to cover the burned area.

Take a look at some of the roots he dug out. You probably already guessed: they are Four O’'Clocks. This helps explain their persistence and toughness.

And so we were not be a bit surprised when about a dozen popped right up through the lawn this week.

Four O’Clocks are forever so I will be forever pulling them out of the grass.