Scented Tobacco/Forest Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) - A fragrant highlight on summer evenings

Are you dreaming of an absolute garden highlight that boasts immense vigor and transforms your summer evenings into a fragrant paradise? Make way for the secret star of the perennial bed: the majestic flowering tobacco (botanically Nicotiana sylvestris, often also called forest or mountain tobacco).

It's the ideal choice if you want to quickly add structure and elegant height to your garden and have a heart for an intense, sensual natural experience.

Scope of delivery: Young plants in 7cm pots.

A rocket starter for the bed

The flowering tobacco is a real high-flyer. In just one season, the perennial shoots rapidly upwards and forms extensive foliage that immediately adds fullness to any location. This impressive plant usually reaches a stately height of 1.5 meters. Under good conditions, however, it knows hardly any limits – my own specimen even touched the impressive 2-meter mark last summer!

Argentine mountains and an irresistible perfume

Don't be fooled by the names "forest" or "mountain tobacco" – it certainly doesn't come from local forests! This elegant giant is originally at home in the vast, partly rugged mountain regions and gorges of the Argentine Andes. There, the vigorous perennial grows majestically to impressive heights at the edges of sparse forests and in cool, damp mountain forests. Already towards the end of the 19th century, this fascinating wild species traveled to Europe as a botanical treasure and rapidly conquered local gardens.

Its true magic is revealed here as soon as the sun is lower: countless long, white floral trumpets unfold from the strong green, hanging from the shoots like small shooting stars. On warm summer days, the plant lives up to its name and envelops the surroundings in an intense, sweet fragrance that travels extremely far.

A magnet for night owls and easy propagation

This evening fragrance spectacle not only delights our senses but is also ecologically enormously valuable: the flowering tobacco attracts numerous night moths and breathes life into the evening garden.

In addition, the plant loves to take care of its offspring itself. If you leave the flowerheads on, it will self-seed completely without any fuss. You can also harvest the seeds in autumn to specifically cultivate your own offspring in the coming year.

More than just an ornamental: a smokable experience

Since flowering tobacco is a true Nicotiana species, the impressive leaves are actually smokable after drying. Those who want to try their hand at tobacco production will find an interesting plant here: its taste is significantly milder and not as strong as conventional Virginia or farmer's tobacco.

Important note: Please note that this natural plant also contains nicotine. Smoking is highly detrimental to health and addictive. Any consumption is therefore always at your own risk! If, instead, you wish to quit smoking, you can find professional, anonymous and free support from the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) – online at rauchfrei-info.de or via telephone counseling at 0800 8 31 31 31.

Care & Wintering: Surprisingly undemanding

• The perfect location: Treat the South American beauty to a somewhat calcareous substrate – she particularly likes that! Otherwise, she grows tirelessly in a bright spot.

• Relaxed through winter: Flowering tobacco is often kept as an annual, but it can be overwintered wonderfully cool! Especially young plants in pots master the cold season completely problem-free at around 5 to 10 °C. A bright location is optimal, but surprisingly the plant also copes with relatively dark corners.

• Fascinating winter growth: Don't be alarmed if the plant continues to grow in the shady winter quarters and appears surprisingly colorless. That is completely normal! As soon as the first brightness hits the leaves in spring, this deficiency quickly evens out again and the flowering tobacco quickly shines in its usual green.

Let yourself be enchanted by this historic fragrant beauty and make your summer evenings an unforgettable experience!