Nicotiana sylvestris
tobacco plant
- Position: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil: Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Average
- Flowering period: July to September
- Hardiness: Half hardy annual
Eye-catching heads of sweetly scented, pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers on towering stems from July to September above rosettes of dark green leaves. At dusk the flowers of this wonderful, white tobacco plant start to give off their fabulous fragrance. For maximum enjoyment plant in bold drifts in a sunny, sheltered border close to a patio, entrance or seating area.
Keep the soil or compost moist by watering regularly during dry spells and feed with a balanced fertiliser every fourteen days. Although usually grown as an annual, plants that are protected with a dry mulch may survive mild winters where temperatures only occasionally fall below -5°C (23°F)
Under glass in spring, sow the seed thinly onto the surface of a good compostand keep at around 18°C. Keep moist (but not wet) by watering with a spray bottle, and thin out when they are large enough to handle, potting them up into individual pots. Grow on and gradually harden off before planting out after all risk of frost has passed.
- Humans/Pets: Harmful if eaten; avoid skin contact