FLOWERING TOBACCO –– Head of the Class

FLOWERING TOBACCO

Nicotiana sylvestris 'Only the Lonely.’
Blooming in mid-July
at the Gatehouse garden,
Shaw Island, San Juan Archipelago, WA.
At this writing, at least 4' tall, fragrant,
and winning the trial for DEER RESISTANCE
in this fall season when faithful Foxgloves
 have finished with their bloom cycle.
Don't tell me white flowers are boring.
Second generation now blooming
at this garden on Reefnet Bay Road,
Shaw Island, San Juan Archipelago, WA.
Save the packet in the fridge for early
spring broadcasting.
Photo from the Gatehouse garden July 2019.

Botanical name: Nicotiana sylvestris 'Only the Lonely'

Life Cycle: Tender perennial.

Native Growing Region: Northwestern Argentina

Zone: Winter hardy USDA 7 to 10

Bloom Time: Depending on the weather, sometimes from June until frost.

Flower: Showy clusters of pendant white flowers that look like a burst of fireworks. Most fragrant in the evening.

Spread: 1-2'

Foliage: Dramatic. Huge chartreuse to green leaves. Larger in the shade.

Maintenance: Low. Easy, "throw and grow."

Description: Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM.) The stems and root systems are strong enough that the plants can lean at severe angles without requiring a stake, some say, but this 5 footer has a slender stake to 
support her lifestyle.

Tolerates: Shaw Island deer! Rutgers Agricultural Station has rated this plant as RARELY touched by deer. There are hundreds of island deer who actually do leave this plant unmolested.

Degree of difficulty: EASY.

Garden uses: Good for fresh flower arrangements. Use in masses at the back of the annual or mixed border as a stunning backdrop for smaller plants, as a tall accent plant, or in a large mixed container. It is right at home in a cottage garden and is natural for a moon garden.

Notes: This species self-seeds readily but the seedlings are easy to identify and pull if unwanted. Volunteer plants are not a problem in cold climates. Thrives in all types of soils with moderate moisture but prefers rich soils.

The genus name honors Jean Nicot (1530-1600) the French ambassador to
Lisbon who introduced tobacco to France. The specific epithet means forest-loving.

Uses: Cultivated as an ornamental plant. All parts of Nicotiana sylvestris can cause discomfort or irritation if consumed, according to Wikipedia.

Sowing: It is easily grown from seed, either sown indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost or sown directly in the garden after the last frost. Surface sow the seeds and barely cover, as they need light to germinate. Germination should take place between 1.5-3 weeks.

Quote:

"I could not live comfortably without flowering tobacco. The best flowering tobacco by far is Nicotiana sylvestris, the woodland tobacco from Argentina. A fine plant either for the mixed border or for pot culture on decks or patios, it rises in a pyramid as much as five feet above its enormous pale green lower leaves. Its pure white, long tubular blossoms are pyrotechnic, exploding in a circle in tiered whorls at the top of sturdy branching stems. Its delicious scent grows stronger at night when the somewhat drooping flowers lift upward to greet the moths that are their pollinators."

Allen Lacy, The Inviting Garden. New York, Henry Hold and Co. 1998.

FLOWERING TOBACCO

Nicotiana sylvestris
The minuscule seeds are harvested, sifted, & packed
in glassine paper for sale at 
Gatehouse Seeds, Reefnet Bay Road,
Shaw Island, San Juan Archipelago, Washington.