This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

[SHADEGARDENS] Nicotiana alata

Hi all,

I'm looking for advice and/or your experiences growing Nicotiana alata (maybe
N.sylvestris too).  I've heard it seeds itself around.  I think it was Barbara
Damrosch from Maine who said this on her show Gardening Naturally.  I think
she is in zone 5.  I'm in zone 4a...will it seed itself here too?

Here's why I ask:  I want it's fragrance and white flowers in my gardens.  And
I think it takes part shade.  Last spring I couldn't find it in the local
nurseries (maybe didn't look hard enough) so I sent for some.  By the time it
arrived and I planted it, it was sometime in June. They sprouted and then
mostly just sat there doing little the rest of the summer.  Last fall I
brought them in and put them under lights, hoping I could at least have
flowers during the winter.  About 2 weeks ago, the first one started
flowering, finally, beautiful, (though not as fragrant as I had hoped for).
The rest will soon flower too.  I want to have these flowers just pop up in my
gardens by themselves.  Is it possible?  Can I collect the seeds from my
indoor plants and sprinkle them outside now?  Maybe they are just too slow to
mature so it won't work here. The average last frost date here is May 15...
(But if it works in Maine....)

Enough rambling, anyone got any ideas, experiences?

Thanks,
Cindy Johnson
White Bear Lake, MN
zone 4a
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index