Colorful Evening-Blooming Flowers

Four O'Clock

• The trumpet-shaped flowers of 4 o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) open, as their common name suggests, around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Some of the flowers are a single color, while others are multicolored. The flowers come in many vivid colors, including mahogany, yellow, purple, red and pink. They are easy to grow from seed and will flower the first season. The plants form a tuber underground that can be dug in the fall and stored in a frost-free location for the winter. Once established, these plants are drought-tolerate and often self-seed in the garden. Grow 4 o'clocks in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade.

Angel Trumpet

• The 12-inch trumpet-shaped blooms of the angel trumpet (Brugmansia) tree make this plant a real showpiece in the evening garden. Grow this tropical tree in a large container so you can move it into a frost-free location to overwinter, or plant it directly in the ground. The flowers come in a wide array of colors, including pink, peach, white and yellow. This plant is a heavy feeder that performs best when both a time-release granular fertilizer and a liquid fertilizer are used. Plant it in well-drained, organic rich soil in full sun or partial shade. Expect to water this plant daily during the hottest part of summer. All parts of this plant are toxic, so keep it out of the reach of children and pets.

Nicotiana

• Often referred to as flowering tobacco, Nicotiana is an heirloom flower that comes in many colors, including white, green, pink, red and purple. The trumpet-shaped flowers, which look like a star on the end, attract both butterflies and hummingbirds. The old-fashioned plants often reach a height of 5 feet and require staking to keep them upright. The hybrid varieties are much shorter, with most of them averaging 12 to 20 inches in height. The old-fashioned varieties will self-seed in the garden, but the new hybrids must be planted yearly. Grow Nicotiana in full sun in well-drained soil.

Daylilies

• Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are a common daytime garden plant; a few varieties bloom at night. The old-fashioned daylilies, known as lemon lilies because of the yellow flowers and lemon fragrance they emit, are strictly night-blooming. Daylilies are tough plants that are drought-tolerant once established and thrive on neglect. They are pest-free and are not bothered by extreme summer heat. Grow daylilies in full sun or partial shade. They are tolerant of most soil types. A few of the night blooming-cultivars include "Bitsy," "Everblooming Doll," "Golden Dewdrop," "Ida Miles," "Green Ice," "Joan Senior," "Pardon Me," "Stella D'Oro" and "Tootsie."