Nicotiana - Starlight Dancer (Nicotiana x hybrida) Jasmine Flowers Flowering Tobacco Flower

Nicotiana - Starlight Dancer (Nicotiana x hybrida) Jasmine Flowers Flowering Tobacco Flower

Annual

Height 3.5 ft

Yes this is a hybrid flowering Jasmine...but its an absolute stunner so we had to offer it! This is a newer variety from the Netherlands; a cross between Nicotiana langsdorffii and jasmine tobacco.

Starlight Dancer has dangling ivory to very light lime green-backed outer flowers with a white interior; large trumpet shaped blooms are 1 in. in size and have the outstanding and intoxicating fragrance of jasmine flowering tobacco. Freely blooms all summer long and hummingbirds, bees and moths adore it. Great for borders, stand alone feature plants or cottage gardens. Place beside a sitting area for lovely nighttime aroma.

• Full sun to part shade
• Rich moist well draining soil
• Start seeds indoors from February to May in cells or pots filled to within 6 mm of the top with moistened peat free rich soil. Sow tiny seeds thinly - mix a teaspoon of fine dry sand with the seed before sowing to help prevent overcrowding of the seedlings. Do not cover the seeds, as nicotiana needs light to germinate. Keep the compost moist but not wet, watering from the base of the pots, never on top of the seeds.
  Germination should occur within 21 days at 18 to 22°C (65 to 68°F)
  Once the seedlings have developed a couple of sets of leaves, if needed, thin out by pinching or cutting excess seedlings at the soil line, leaving the strongest seedlings to grow on and not disturb the roots. Harden off for several weeks before planting outdoors and after all danger of frost has passed.
• OR direct seed outdoors after all risk of frost has passed.
• Spacing: 1 to 1.5 ft
  
• Matures in approximately 10 - 12 weeks
• Medium Water Use; regular, even watering - 1 in per week.
• Mix in about 2" of compost prior to planting, and use several applications of organic fertilizer during the season.
• Note: Nicotiana can be susceptible to aphids; water sprays or insecticidal soap can safely remedy the issue. Tobacco budworms eat holes in the buds and devour seeds later in the summer. Try to hand pick them at dusk when they come out to feed. In autumn, tilling in annual beds can help destroy pupae and decrease populations the following year. Tobacco hornworm, the caterpillar stage of a hawk moth, also feeds on Nicotiana and can be controlled by handpicking. Look for the black droppings, as the green caterpillars are hard to spot, and remove immediately, as they can ravage the foliage. White eggs attached to them indicate that a predator insect has parasitized them, and the caterpillars should be left alone.
  Use for cut flower arrangements when flowers are nearly to fully open
  Seed count: 40