Growing Nicotiana
Doug says
Flowering tobacco or Nicotiana is indeed a wonderful plant.
The older N. sylvestris is the tallest (48" tall) and most fragrant and the easiest (and likely the only way) to get this plant is to find some seed from a specialty seedhouse. It will not be in seed racks nor usually sold in anything but a really small local grower/greenhouse.
Unfortunately, I don't track sources for seed or plants (it's a big Internet) :-) so you'll have to go searching.
Modern forms of Nicotiana alata most commonly sold in garden centers or big box stores are hybrids and while they come in a wide variety of colors do not have a fragrance worth speaking about.
Older N. alata (white ones) have a lovely fragrance but not (In my opinion) as powerful as the N. sylvestris
I've found that N. sylvestris will often self sow for me here in USDA zone 4.
It is easily sown and grown indoors.
Growing Conditions
Nicotiana grows best in full sun to liight shade
Love a good soil; well drained and rich. But will survive nicely on just about anything for a single season. Reseeds better in welll-drained soils in my experience.
Sowing Seed
Sow without covering the
seed - it is very small seed. Indoors, You'll need to sow it by mid-March for a late May planting outdoors.
Keep the flat warm (see seed starting tips in progagation area) and within 10-14 days, you'll have small seedlings. Transplant into bigger pots when the seeds have 4 true leaves (not the tiny seedling leaves but leaves that look like the mature plant)
Grow at 65F and in full sunlight until after all danger of frost.
Or, you can sow outdoors in mid-May for a fall blooming. Keep the soil damp if sowing outdoors until the plants are at the 4 leaf stage and then you can transplant seedlings that are too close together.
Deadheading
Deadhead the spent flowers to encourage new blooms but understand that unless you leave some to set seed, you won't have any the following year.all seed.
If you want to ask a question about growing NIcotiana, click here
