I loved mine when they were first planted...but then they did the same thing...grew very leggy. This year they didn't even flower -I've been pulling them out madly. I've decided I've joined the hating club. They are so invasive and seem to have changed from a charming sweet smelling flower to a obnoxious weed.

This was my second year with 4 o'clocks and last year they were so full and flowered all summer ( light pink, fushia, and yellow). This year they came up and looked like they would be better than last year, but got real leggy and did not flower like last year. I chopped then down to the ground in July and they came right back nice and bushy and is now flowering. I don't know what happened.

thanks for the help. Guess I'll just go out and chop them all back and see what happens.

I wonder if the older they are, thus the larger the tuber, the more leggy they get? Maybe next year, I'll try digging up the big old tubers and cut them into pieces. Can't hurt, certainly won't mean I'll not have any...I have to admit one reason I love them IS the fact that they do so well on their own. I just mow over the ones I don't want.

When the plant gets to the width and height you want it to be, simply keep it snipped back. I do this and they remain very bushy and tight and still bloom and still make tons of seeds.

I grew to hate them and when I dug it up it had a three foot huge fat forked tuber. so much work to get them out. and the seeds everywhere.

the tubers are great for bonsai! I've seen some pics of really cool ones and that's what I'magonna do with a few that are getting big.
I just chop at them, all the time, they can get so out of hand. Luckily in our sandy soil they just pull right out. I found a HUGE tuber a couple of years ago someone had dug out and threw in the alley, I drug it home, laid it in the bed in the alley & forgot to plant it, it started sending out shoots everywhere and now looks like a forest of 4:00s in that area.
Tally HO!

The more sun they get, the less likely they are to get leggy.