I officially have a new favorite Nicotiana. I've tried several different flowering tobacco plants the last few years, and this year I found a new one (drum roll please); Nicotiana mutabilis! I was browsing through the Select Seeds catalog this winter and this tobacco was just calling my name.Select seeds has a great catalog with lots of heirloom flower and vegetable seeds and they've always worked out pretty well for me. I started the seeds down in the basement under a rack of neon lights. The all germinated great and when I later took them outside they all hardened up well.
This tobacco doesn't seem to have too much of a scent, but in every other way it has exceeded my expectations for a plant. It has big interesting dark leafy foliage and it is even growing in a tough spot. It's over 4 feet tall and the flowers came on early and they are still going. I love the dainty little flowers on the longs stems. The hummingbirds seem to love it as well.
Nicotiana tabacum is the kind you can smoke (I don't) and can grow 5-6 feet. Although it has pretty flowers, but the leaves at the bottom always seem to go yellow and it doesn't bloom until late and it's a lot of foliage with not so many flowers (just a few up on top).
Nicotiana sylvestris is very nice; my second favorite tobacco. It is 4-5 feet tall and has long white slender tubular flowers and is fragrant. It's very pretty and looks great at the back of a border.
Nicotiana alata is also nice. There are many varities of this one and is probably the most commonly grown. It is fragrant and usually only a couple of feet tall.
So next year I think I'll have a whole section with all the tobaccos in it (except mabye not the tabacum).
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