Searched on "4 O'Clocks" and this discussion came up. Nice old discussion! In my area (Maritime NW) I have never seen 4 O'clocks in the nurseries and big box stores. I'm speculating that's because most of their flowers are sold in bloom, and 4 O'clocks bloom when larger. They probably don't bloom in little 6-packs or even in 1-gallon containers. I'm guessing about that. Also, if the flowers are not reliably open when the stores are open, people might not buy them. I bought seeds via the internet. Feeling nostalgic about gardening from my childhood, and these 4 O'clocks were part of that. I grew some about 10 years ago and as I recall they did OK here. I'm more into gardening now than I was then, so maybe they'll grow better. Plus I have a deer and rabbit problem, and maybe they'll be resistant to those animals. Maybe. I read start them 6 to 8 weeks indoors before the last frost, for cool climates like mine. They can also be planted in the ground, but maybe will start blooming later. A packet has plenty of sees, so I can try both. Nice discussion! I've lost the experiences of older gardeners in my family, and it seems there aren't a lot of gardeners in my neighborhood, so it's up to me to discover what works and what doesn't. Pass-along plants like these are worth preserving for the next generation!

I remember finding a recipe on rose forum...Lets me see if I can find it now.. Here is one post I kept: Angela, I do what Pete does, just put a cup or so of alfalfa pellets under the mulch and close in to the base of the plant, and then soak with a little water. But, to get to your question, a good recipe to start off with is probably the original recipe for alfalfa tea, as described by Howard Walters, the Rosarian Rambler, in an ARS article: "Alfalfa tea is a great spring or fall potion that doesn't interfere with normal seasonal processes. Alfalfa tea releases a growth hormone that makes everything work better. Just add 10 to 12 cups of alfalfa meal or pellets to a 32-gallon plastic garbage can (with a lid), add water, stir and steep for four or five days, stirring occasionally. You may also "fortify" with 2 cups of Epsom salts, 1/2 cup of Sequestrene® (chelated iron, now called Sprint 330) or your favorite trace element elixir. The tea will start to smell in about three days. Keep the lid ON. Use about a gallon of mix on large rose bushes, 1/3 that much on mini's. And keep the water going. When you get to the bottom of the barrel, add water to fill it up again! One load of meal or pellets will brew up two barrels full, but add more fortifiers for the second barrel. You'll see greener growth and stronger stems within a week." I stir the "witch brew" almost every day...Keep it or 3-7 days, and then water everything with it- other plants besides roses will appreciate the "potion". Gardeners from upnorth recommend using it a few times a year, but I use it here a lot more often. I like to put a trashcan out in the rain, so it gets filled up. Then, add the pellets and wait for it to brew. Hope it helps :) Olya

Fabulous video. That's some great setup you have! That is about the number of Anna's and Rufus we had here in Oregon this year. And the Rufus were more aggressive this past spring than usual, not only attacking the Anna's hummingbirds we have year-round, but also getting after regular birds who were at the feeders eating some fifteen feet away and having the nerve to harass and chase chickadees in trees nowhere close to the feeders. I witnessed one pitching a fight with a stellar jay and another going after a squirrel in the yard. Ahah. Yours are so mild-mannered. :) Our Anna's love salvia. It appears to be the favorite. They're not going to be happy when winter comes. We never used to have them year-round, but for the past three years, suddenly we have! The numbers drop dramatically, though.

Don, he wasn't my first parrot....He could be likened to finally getting a Porsche, if you're into cars. I brought him home when he was 5 weeks old.... about mid-April, 1999. Here is his baby picture when he came home. I'd been going over to my friend's house (the breeder), to hand feed him when she pulled him from the nestbox. I continued to hand feed him, with what is called "abundance feeding" so he weaned himself, at 22 weeks old, without feeling deprived. He weighed 600 grams as a well fed baby boy, and he weighs that now as an adult. He has beautiful feathers, no fat, great muscle tone especially in his breast which allows him to fly efficiently.....but consider that birds are so aerodynamic, with hollow bones, hollow feathers, they eat moderately frequently, also poop frequently and do it almost EVERY time before they take flight....which is a clue to imminent flight, by the way.