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Let's Hear It for Nicki!

© Keith Muraoka

I always try to plant at least one new flower each year that I've never grown before. This year, I have fallen in love with Nicki!

I don't even mind if you tell my wife about Nicki. That's because Nicki is actually nicotiana -- one of the true stalwarts in the summer bedding plant garden. My affiliation with Goldsmith Seeds in Gilroy, California -- one of the world's largest breeders of hybrid flower seed -- got me interested in nicotiana this year. Goldsmith is introducing "Saratoga" nicotiana in the year 2000, and I received some samples. "Saratoga" comes in deep rose, lime, purple, red and white, with a dwarf habit of just 10-12 inches. I've already come to prize these easy-to-grow annuals for their alluring sweet perfume and colorful, delicate flowers, which bloom in late afternoon or early evening when other flowers are calling it a day.

Nicotiana (pronounced nik-o-shee-ana) is also known as flowering tobacco. It is a member of the nightshade family, the Solanaceae. It's leaves are large and coarse like those of the common cultivated tobacco, and grow in a clump near the ground. The flowers open out from tall, thin stems into single stars. Goldsmith's "Saratoga" series only grows a foot tall, but there are other varieties out there that can soar to 4 feet or more. This makes nickis useful as both back-of-the-border plants or edging plants, depending on the variety chosen.

Besides the beauty of the flowers, plants are practically insect- and disease-free. They also can tolerate a wide range of weather and soil conditions, blooming happily whether its heat and drought or overhead watered. Planted in most of California, nickis will bloom throughout summer all the way until late fall. It's not too late to get them planted.

One of the advantages with the "Saratoga" series is that it can easily be grown in containers. I am particularly taken by the lime green color. The name describes the flower color and, although it sounds a bit odd, lime green actually fits in well with other shades. I use sprays of lime green nicotiana as a cut flower to go along with roses in indoor arrangements.

The optimal locations for nickis is a sheltered, sunny spot protected from the wind, so that the perfume will linger in the air. However, the plants will grow practically anywhere. Although catalogs will suggest growing them in partial shade to full sun, I've had some growing in almost complete shade. The whites are especially striking when grown in a shaded area.

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