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Late-Summer Beauty: Nicotiana sylvestris

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | August 23, 2009 5 Comments

Last updated on December 2nd, 2011


If you are fond of botanical skyscrapers, then by all means obtain Nicotiana sylvestris, the tallest of the white, evening-scented flowering tobacco species. It is ideally suited for the back of the flower border, with companions of blue delphinium and tall, purple asters. In May, I unwittingly planted a trio of two-inch tall sylvestris seedlings in front of the dwarf lilac hedge in the Serpentine Garden. The youngsters didn’t budge for eight weeks. In early August, however, they exploded into a fury of leafy rosettes, these bearing multitudes of white candelabras atop six-foot tall stems! Not exactly the picture I had in mind, but they do shed light and perfume on all who ascend this garden.

I also planted seedlings beneath the Yoshino cherry. There, dwarfed by the ten-foot tall tree, they make a pleasant vista. And because a bench exists before the tree, there is an invitation to sit in nicotiana’s scented glow while sipping a cocktail, or conversing with a friend.

To achieve its full, Paul Bunyonesque potential, plant sylvestris in rich but well-draining soil,and in full sun. And do be patient. As I have said, seedlings tend to remain small until their sudden burst at summer’s end.

And speaking of seedlings, sylvestris, like all nicotianas, self-sows freely. Thus one plant will produce many the following year. These will undoubtedly emerge where you least desire them, in the cracks of a walkway, in lawns and elsewhere. Watch for seedlings in late spring, and then transplant to areas where both height and evening scent are welcome.

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Related Posts:
The Serpentine Garden
Loving My Lilacs

Fragrance Without Equal: Lemon Verbena
Gift-Wrapped Tomatoes: Tomatillos

Comments

  1. 1

    Justin says

    August 23, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    I have a small nicotiana with beautiful pale red flowers, but it isn't really fragrant at all. Maybe I'll try this large species next year.

  2. 2

    Holly says

    August 24, 2009 at 12:05 am

    Oh, to sit in your garden at night, enveloped in the scent of nicotiana…sounds delightful!

  3. 3

    Eric says

    August 24, 2009 at 1:32 am

    I'm jealous! I planted sylvestris in early June (from seedlings) and they have YET to do anything! They are still small, and no flower stalks in sight. I've given up on them.

  4. 4

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    August 24, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    Eric – so sorry about your nicotianas! A friend told me that his plants didn't perform well, either. I wonder if the abundant rainfall we've endured this summer played a role? My plants are on a well-draining slope, which might explain why they grew and flowered well.

  5. 5

    Laura says

    August 25, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Kevin, your garden must smell divine.

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