How to Grow Nicotiana
'White Trumpets' from Seed
The monster of the evening garden -- Nicotiana sylvestris, RHS AGM, rising to 1.5m with a vast basal rosette and hanging white trumpets that close in daytime and open at dusk with one of the most extraordinary jasmine-and-clove fragrances in the UK garden; surface sow in light at 20°C; plant out JUNE ONLY into warm rich soil at the back of the border; stake in exposed positions; deadhead main spike for lateral side shoots to October; glows luminously in twilight; draws hawk moths from across the garden; all parts toxic
Nicotiana sylvestris 'White Trumpets' is the Nicotiana for gardeners who want maximum drama and maximum evening fragrance, and who have the space for a plant that earns the description it appears on the Bishy product page: "a monster." From a February-April indoor sowing, this plant grows by June into a towering 1.5m (5ft) structure with a huge rosette of large, paddle-shaped leaves at the base and a central flowering spike carrying dozens of hanging white trumpets. This is not a plant for the front of a small border -- it needs the back of a large one, or a generous position where its considerable size can be fully accommodated and where it can be seen from a distance as it rises against a hedge or wall.
The fragrance is the plant's defining quality. During the day, the trumpets hang closed (the flowers close in daylight and heat, which is why this plant's daytime display is primarily architectural rather than floral). As the sun sets and temperatures drop, the trumpets open and release what is genuinely one of the most remarkable evening garden fragrances available from any plant grown in the UK: a powerful, complex, jasmine-and-clove sweetness that intensifies as the evening progresses and carries for extraordinary distances on still warm air. The pure white flowers glow in twilight -- genuinely luminous against a darkening background -- and act as a visual and olfactory beacon for the hawk moths that are the plant's primary pollinators. The RHS Award of Garden Merit confirms the outstanding performance that growers consistently report.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Half-Hardy Annual -- RHS AGM; grows as an annual in UK; technically short-lived perennial
Height
Monster -- 1.5m (5ft); huge leaf rosette at base; back of border only
Flowers
Long hanging white trumpets; CLOSES in daytime heat; opens at dusk with extraordinary jasmine-clove fragrance
Evening
The ultimate Moon Garden plant -- glows in twilight; acts as beacon for hawk moths
Sow
Surface sow/light; 20°C; 10-14 days; plant out JUNE when soil warm
Difficulty
2 out of 5 -- needs warmth and space; the most dramatic Nicotiana available
Understanding the Plant
The Daytime vs. Evening Behaviour -- Planning Around It
Understanding White Trumpets' behaviour cycle is essential for using it effectively. During the warmest part of the day (typically 10am to 5pm in summer), the trumpets hang closed -- the plant provides architectural height, bold leaf texture, and a tropical-looking structural presence, but relatively little floral display. As temperatures drop in the late afternoon and evening, the trumpets begin to open, first releasing fragrance and then becoming visually prominent as their white colour catches the low evening light. By dusk, a well-established White Trumpets plant is one of the most spectacular garden sights available -- the drama of its scale combined with the luminous quality of the open white trumpets and the extraordinary fragrance creates an evening garden experience of genuine emotional impact.
The "Sticky Hairs" Fact -- Not Carnivorous
The leaves of Nicotiana sylvestris are covered with tiny glandular hairs that secrete a sticky substance. Small insects -- midges, fungus gnats -- do sometimes become trapped on these hairs. This can alarm gardeners who discover the leaves apparently trapping small creatures. The plant is not carnivorous -- it derives no nutritional benefit from trapped insects. The sticky hairs are a defensive mechanism, presumed to make the leaves less palatable or accessible to larger herbivorous insects. The trapped midges simply die on the leaf surface. This is a characteristic of the plant, not a disease or pest problem, and requires no treatment.
Scale and Space Requirements
The 1.5m height of White Trumpets is matched by a substantial base spread -- the rosette of large leaves at the base can span 60-90cm across, requiring significant ground space around each plant. Allow at least 60cm between plants and between the plant base and neighbouring plants or structures. In a small garden, a single well-positioned White Trumpets specimen can be spectacular; in a larger garden, a group of three provides the scale that best suits the plant's architectural quality. The large basal leaves also compete strongly for water and nutrients -- ensure rich, well-watered soil around established plants.
Toxicity -- All Parts Toxic if Ingested
Nicotiana belongs to the Nightshade family (Solanaceae). All parts are toxic if ingested by humans or pets. The sticky leaf hairs can irritate sensitive skin. Always wash hands after handling. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin.
Sowing & Growing On
Surface Sow at 20°C -- Light Required -- Plant Out JUNE Only (Needs Warm Soil)
Scatter dust-like seeds onto moist compost surface from February-April. Do not cover -- light required. Keep at 20°C. Germination 10-14 days. Plant out in JUNE only -- White Trumpets needs genuinely warm soil. Back of border; 60cm spacing; rich moist soil; stake main spike in exposed positions.
-
Surface sow indoors Feb-April at 20°C. Do not cover -- seeds are dust-like and need light. Press seeds very gently into the compost surface. Keep consistently warm and in maximum available light. Germination 10-14 days. Seedlings are initially very small -- keep moist and bright. Prick out into individual 9cm pots when 2-3 true leaves appear.
-
Pot on into 1-litre pots as the plant grows rapidly -- White Trumpets is a vigorous grower. Do not allow to become pot-bound before planting out. The plant grows so fast from June that a pot-bound seedling makes up for lost time rapidly once planted into rich border soil; but pot-bound plants may also become top-heavy on inadequate root development.
-
Plant out in JUNE only -- not May. White Trumpets needs both air and soil temperatures to be genuinely warm. Planting in May into cold soil produces plants that sit for weeks without growing. June planting into warm soil produces rapid, vigorous establishment. Back of border; 60cm between plants; rich, moisture-retentive, well-fed soil. The leaves are large -- allow generous space.
-
Stake the main flowering spike in exposed positions; deadhead for side shoots to October. Despite the thick stem, the tall spike can rock in strong wind. Insert a sturdy bamboo cane in June when the spike begins to rise. Remove spent flower stalks to stimulate lateral side shoots that flower through September and October.
Growing On & Care
The Moon Garden Anchor Plant
White Trumpets is the largest and most dramatic of all Moon Garden plants available from a UK seed packet. Its scale -- 1.5m -- ensures it provides structure and presence that lower-growing white flowers cannot. In a Moon Garden scheme, White Trumpets occupies the back; Nicotiana Starlight Dancer the middle height; and white Cosmos, Gypsophila, and Night Scented Stock the front and base. The White Trumpets provides the vertical architectural element against which all other Moon Garden plants read, and its extraordinary evening fragrance provides the olfactory top note of the entire planting scheme.
The Hawk Moth Beacon
Nicotiana sylvestris is one of the primary hawk moth attraction plants in the UK garden, and the hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in particular is known to visit these plants intensively. The long, hanging white trumpets are precisely the shape that hawk moth proboscises are adapted to access -- a long tubular structure requiring the hovering approach that hawk moths employ so effectively. On a warm August evening, watching a hummingbird hawk moth work a well-established White Trumpets plant is one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences available in a UK garden. The RHS AGM designation includes explicit recognition of this important pollinator value.
Architectural Garden Presence
White Trumpets provides something few half-hardy annuals can: genuine architectural scale. The 1.5m height combined with the large, bold leaf rosette and the dramatic hanging trumpet flower clusters creates a presence that reads as a major structural element in a border or garden design. Against a dark hedge or stone wall, a single White Trumpets plant makes a statement that no other annual matches. In a new garden where permanent structure is still establishing, a grouping of White Trumpets provides the impression of scale and maturity that would otherwise take years of perennial or shrub establishment to create.
Water and Nutrient Requirements
White Trumpets grows extremely fast in summer -- from June planting to 1.5m takes perhaps 8-10 weeks. This rapid growth requires both consistent moisture and adequate fertility. Water established plants in the border every 2-3 days in dry weather; container-grown plants daily. Feed fortnightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser from June through August. Mulch generously around the base (avoiding direct stem contact) to retain moisture through the critical midsummer growth phase. A plant that becomes drought-stressed mid-season takes time to recover -- prevention through consistent watering is far more effective than remedial watering after stress has occurred.
The Late Season Side Shoots
After the main central flowering spike finishes (typically late July to August depending on sowing date), removing the spent spike stimulates the plant to produce lateral side shoots lower on the main stem. These side shoots produce secondary flowering spikes that carry the display through September and October -- extending the season significantly beyond what the main spike alone provides. Each side shoot produces flowers identical in fragrance and appearance to the central spike. Multiple lateral shoots on a single plant in September can collectively produce as many flowers as the original central spike at peak flowering.
Self-Seeding
White Trumpets self-seeds generously in suitable conditions -- sheltered positions with rich, moist soil and reasonable warmth. Self-sown plants appear the following spring and grow vigorously from established positions. In a permanent border where White Trumpets is grown annually, the self-seeding colony can eventually become partially self-perpetuating, reducing the need for annual sowing from fresh purchased seed. The self-sown plants produce offspring true to the white-flowered parent form.
Sowing & Flowering Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow (Feb-Apr indoor) |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Plant out JUNE only |
|
|||||||||||
| Growing rapidly (Jun-Jul) |
|
|
||||||||||
| Peak flowers + fragrance (Jul-Sep) |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Side shoots (Sep-Oct) |
|
|
Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Plant not growing after transplanting | Planted in May; cold soil | White Trumpets needs warm soil (June planting). In cold May soil, the plant sits dormant. If planted in May and not growing, it will resume growth when the soil warms -- or lift and hold in a large pot until June and replant. |
| Trumpets not opening; always closed | Daytime observation; heat of day | White Trumpets flowers close during the warmest part of the day. This is normal. Observe the plant in the early evening (from 5-6pm onwards in summer) when the flowers begin to open and the fragrance starts to build. The evening display is the plant's performance. |
| Leaves yellowing; slow growth | Insufficient water or nutrients | White Trumpets is a heavy feeder and heavy drinker during its rapid growth phase. Water every 2-3 days in dry weather and feed fortnightly from June with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Yellowing lower leaves are normal if only the oldest leaves are affected; widespread yellowing indicates drought or nutrient stress. |
| Plant knocked over in wind | Insufficient staking | Insert a sturdy bamboo cane (at least 1.5m tall) in June when the spike begins to rise. Tie loosely to the cane at 40cm intervals as the plant grows. The thick stem is structurally strong but the height creates considerable wind leverage. |
Plant Specifications
The 1.5m evening fragrance giant -- white trumpets that close all day and open at dusk with extraordinary jasmine-clove scent and RHS gold
Surface sow at 20°C from February-April (light required, no covering). Plant out in JUNE ONLY into rich, moist soil at the back of the border. Allow 60cm around each plant. Stake the main spike. The trumpets stay closed during the day but at dusk they open and release the most extraordinary evening fragrance in the garden, glowing white in the twilight as hawk moths arrive.
Shop Nicotiana White Trumpets Seeds →