This common annual flower is related to a plant that has been grown and used for 6,000 years. It helped the early colonists survive in the New World, but unfortunately, was a crop associated with slavery and is now known to cause lung cancer. While tobacco has a checkered past, its cousin, the flowering tobacco or nicotiana, is a great flower in the garden.
Nicotiana varieties range in sizes with various colored flowers and even fragrance. Most of the varieties found in garden centers are hybrids such as the Saratoga, Domino, Sensation and Nikki series. They grow 1 to 2 feet tall with flower colors from white to dark red. The ones I'm most interested in, though, are the species types. Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana sylvestris are large plants that grow 3 to 5 feet tall. They feature white, trumpet-shaped flowers forming in clusters that open towards evening. The beauty of these types is the heady fragrance that wafts from the flowers all night long. Plant them near a window where you can enjoy the scent on a warm summer evening.
Nicotiana grows best in full sun on well-drained soil. Many hybrid varieties are self-cleaning, meaning they don't need deadheading to remove their old blooms. They do self-sow readily, but the seedlings that sprout the next year from hybrids will not be the same color as the adults. So, thin or remove them now as they emerge so they don't crowd a bed.
If you're looking to attract butterflies, beneficial insects and hummingbirds to your garden, grow the open pollinated, heirloom or species versions. These have more nectar than the hybrids and are more attractive or beneficial to butterflies and bees.
And now for this week's tip, having trouble growing eggplant? Try growing smaller fruited varieties, such as 'Fairy Tale', in old black plastic nursery pots filled with potting soil. Keep them well watered and fertilized, growing in full sun, and they will fruit early and more often than in the garden.
Next week on the Vermont Garden Journal, I'll be talking about rosemary and lavender. Until then, I'll be seeing you in the garden.
Resources:
The Vermont Garden Journal with Charlie Nardozzi is made possible by Gardener's Supply, offering environmental solutions for gardens and landscapes. In Burlington, Williston and Gardeners.com.
