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Four o'clock flower

The Belle de Nuit, a night wanderer The Belle de Nuit is a rather controversial plant that is at once very generous in terms of blooming, yet whose plants only flourish once the afternoon comes to an end, fading again by the following morning. As its name suggests, the Belle de Nuit is a night wanderer. Unlike most flowers, it does not reveal its lovely coloring in gardens when the sun is at its peak. Instead, it is most delightful for enjoying long summer evenings. This semi-hardy plant tolerates only light frosts. Belle de Nuit plants can only be grown in full sun, on deep, light and well-drained soil. Although they fear the cold, Belle de Nuit plants also dislike soil that is too dry and must be watered when the days are too hot. In other words, this is a demanding plant, one that reserves its full beauty only for attentive gardeners. It is a flower comparable to a charming woman who does not give herself easily.

The remarkable colors of the Belle de Nuit

The Belle de Nuit is an herbaceous plant that stands between 30 and 80 cm tall. Its Latin name, Mirabilis Jalapa, refers to the remarkable beauty of these flowers. Indeed, Mirabilis means admirable. Jalapa, for its part, refers to its origin in Jalapa, Guatemala.
The Belle de Nuit has oval leaves with a pointed tip. Its colorful corolla is formed of a long, narrow tube, 2 to 6 cm in length, flaring at its end to form a sort of funnel. The Belle de Nuit then takes on different guises. It can be purple, pink, white, yellow or red. Inside its flower are hidden 6 stamens that emerge from its tube when the flowers open at dusk. While the Belle de Nuit reveals itself for only a single night, it should be noted that these wilted flowers are very quickly replaced by new ones, blooming again the following evening. Thus, the Belle de Nuit continually displays a fresh and perfectly renewed beauty.

The rich scent of the Belle de Nuit

The Belle de Nuit is both mysterious and intriguing. It is therefore a plant perfectly suited to sensual essences. What is more, its scent lends itself marvelously well to the game of seduction. The Belle de Nuit is a rich and deep raw material, combining a floral breath with a warm, velvety impression. It also unfolds a slightly fruity scent. All these elements and their many olfactory facets inspired a fragrance from Fragonard, entirely dedicated to this plant and simply named Belle de Nuit.
Lastly, as a small anecdote, the Belle de Nuit is used across the globe in traditional medicine, to treat all sorts of ailments such as edema, headaches or sprains. The Belle de Nuit is a true star among apothecaries!

Perfumes with the Four o'clock flower note