Night-scented Nicotiana,
MATTHEW REESE
PHOTOGRAPHS
Nicotiana
A colourful seed strain with large, highly fragrant, pendent blooms. Flowers are produced prolifically through the summer in shades of pink, rose, red, lilac, mauve-purple and white. Flowers are at their nicest in the evening and scented from 6pm into the night. 90cm.
RHS H2, USDA 9a-11†.
Malverleys Gardens Designed by head gardener Matthew Reese (above), Malverleys in Hampshire is one of the UK’s most impressive flower gardens with abundantly planted terraces and long borders that hold a rich mix of hard-working plants, including the Nicotiana species and cultivars featured here. malverleys.co.uk
The genus Nicotiana was named for Jean Nicot, a French diplomat who served as ambassador to Portugal between 1559 and 1561. While in Lisbon, Nicot was introduced to tobacco from South America and, convinced of its medicinal properties, presented the French queen, Catherine de Médicis, with leaves as a remedy for headaches. Her endorsement (helped possibly by a degree of addiction) meant that l’herbe à la reine, as tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum) was known, became so popular that the plant was cultivated in France and elsewhere in northern Europe to meet demand. Since the 16th century tobacco has become a major economic commodity, yet many nicotianas make excellent ornamental plants for the flower garden. There has been a recent surge in new cultivars entering the market, and in the UK’s temperate climate, these flowering tobaccos do particularly well. They are easy to grow from seed, and once established in the garden need very little assistance. They require no deadheading, rarely need staking, and will continue to flower profusely until the frosts of winter take hold.
Ornamental tobaccos are exceptionally good for adding a deft touch of colour to the flower garden. If dahlias are to be considered among the best for extending summer exuberance into the autumn, then nicotianas should be considered one of the nicest. They have a delicate, dainty constitution that allows for more flexibility in the garden. Plants can comfortably be used to thread through the borders to add an extra layer of colour without being too dominant. Dahlias and cosmos, which are often used to prolong the flowering season, might prove too bulky or combative against their neighbours when used in this way. Planting in a self-sown, naturalistic fashion builds continuity by weaving a thread that draws the eye and pulls the border together, it helps to break up blocks of plants and creates an extra layer of interest and colour to the scene. The taller nicotianas are excellent for this, with Nicotiana mutabilis and Nicotiana Whisper mix particularly good at casting long, branching stems of translucent pink flowers above and between the border perennials – and they look particularly elegant when backlit by low sunlight. Nicotiana langsdorffii or Nicotiana ‘Tinkerbell’ can be used in a similar manner, but their green flowers risk being lost in a green background, so are best used near the front of the border where they can be admired.
The larger-flowered cultivars are very good for late summer bedding in mixed borders. The green-flowered cultivars, such as Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’, are excellent in combination with the clambering, magenta-flowered Petunia integrifolia (a close cousin of the tobaccos), or the powder-blue flowers of Ageratum houstonianum ‘Blue Horizon’. The more sizeable Nicotiana sylvestris is a wonderful, stately plant that can hold its own when partnered with other large, bold plants. In the Exotic Garden, at Great Dixter, it combined well with cannas and dahlias.
One of the loveliest attributes of the genus is that many are night-scented, and therefore, particularly suited for the evening garden. Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana sylvestris are two of the best with large, white f lowers that are at their best at dusk. Position them near a path or bench, somewhere sheltered so that their scents will linger long enough to be enjoyed floating on the evening air. Great Dixter’s Christopher Lloyd once noted that ‘the scent of sylvestris is creamier, less rough than alata’s, delicious though that is’. Both species grow well in pots and perhaps are more fully appreciated when brought indoors for the evening. Return the pots to their outdoor positions during the day to allow them a breather. One issue to note is that f lowers may flag or collapse in very bright sunshine, although they remain composed in cloudier conditions. Nicotiana alata is quite prone to this behaviour, but it is less obvious in Nicotiana sylvestris. This, however, is a small price to pay as their enchanting evening perfume is well worth the compromise.
n• Author Matthew Reese is head gardener at Malverleys in Hampshire. Matthew’s recommendations for nicotianas continue over the next five pages.
PLANT PROFILE
A genus of 67 species of half-hardy annuals, perennials, and a few woody plants, all of which are poisonous. Nicotiana tabacum is most widely grown commercially for tobacco production, but many other species have beautiful flowers and make excellent garden plants.
Native of America (mostly the tropics),
Pacific Islands, Namibia and Australia.
Summer into autumn. May flower yearround when grown in a heated greenhouse. up to 1.5m.
Best grown as half-hardy annuals in a warm sunny position, and in moist and rich, free-draining soil.
Nicotianas are generally grown as halfhardy annuals in the UK. Most have a hardiness rating of RHS H2 and are suitable for gardens in USDA zones 9a to 11.
*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Hardiness ratings given where available.
This plant has a wonderful airy carriage with slender stems bearing masses of downwardfacing, trumpet-shaped flowers in lime green. Conspicuous, dark-blue anthers protrude slightly from the centre of each flower.
makes a wonderful companion for blue salvias or pink dahlias. 1.5m. AGM*. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana
A new and particularly interesting tobacco, which is a hybrid of and has an open, branching habit with many bicoloured, tubular flowers arranged in drooping panicles. The blooms are chartreuse-green with red faces and green eyes. It makes an excellent cut flower.
1.2m. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana
A new cultivar with large, dark-maroon flowers held on stiff flower spikes. Flowers all summer and makes a good pot plant and cut flower. Combines well with Ageratum houstonianum ‘Blue Horizon’ or Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’. 60cm. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana sanderae
A vigorous, compact plant with large, apple-green flowers that are produced throughout summer and are scented in the evenings. Plant in free-draining soil or containers. Looks good with
‘Cambridge Blue’. 30cm. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana x sanderae ‘Perfume Deep Purple’
Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’ This cultivar has smaller, lime-green flowers on taller stems than the squatter ‘Cuba Deep Lime’, and also makes an excellent bedding plant. As with most greenflowered plants, it will consort with almost anything and is a longlasting cut flower. 50cm. AGM. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana
A recent cross between
and N. alata. Produces tall, branching stems with masses of green and white, bellshaped flowers. Looks like a white N. langsdorffii and is a good see-through plant for weaving. 1m.
RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana
A tall new hybrid with masses of star-shaped flowers similar to but with the colouring of its other parent N. mutabilis. Blossoms open in shades of soft pink and darken with age. Flowers continuously through summer until the first frosts. 90cm. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.
Nicotiana sylvestris
Nicotiana x sanderae Eau de Cologne mixed
A short bedding mix that produces masses of upward-facing blooms in shades of red, pink, mauve, green and purple. Blooms resist closing during the day and are scented in the evening. Excellent for front of the border or pot. 50cm. RHS H2, USDA 9a-11.