At a NARGS Chapter seedling sale I bought a plant of Mirabilis oblongifolia. It overwintered just fine. Taking a while to get started, this is a late summer bloomer that's just getting going at the end of August and beginning of September. I'm not sure what to make of this plant just yet, the verdict is still open. It makes a rambling tangle of long decumbent stems, from which sprout a fresh crop of small perky pink flowers each morning; the flowers short-lived and gone by early afternoon each day.
It seems that this plant is now Mirabilis albida (although flower color is variable, white, pink, rose-purple), with about 2-1/2 dozen synonyms! Does anyone else grow it, or grow it under any of the litany of synonyms? Just how big and meandering does it grow? Looks to me to be a large spreading, tangled mound, which might be hard to place in the garden effectively. The flowers are possibly not large and showy enough to justify the unkempt space it takes, although the late flowering is certainly appreciated. I might toss the plant out... what do you think?
Mirabilis albida (Mirabilis oblongifolia, just one of dozens of synonyms)
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242415064
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MIAL4&photoID=mial4_004_ahp.jpg
