I’m ashamed to say I don’t have the correct botanical name for this plant. I planted it in my greenhouse as a seed two years ago and grew it over the winter for two years to get it to where I could plant it out this spring. I had about 1/2 a dozen of them but this is the only one that got to blooming size. It’s a beauty and has really fragrant flowers, even in daytime let alone at night when it really shines. It’s just lovely.
Here it is in the bed of mostly wild flowers I re-seed every year with some seeds I save and some I get new. You can see the old heads of Phacelia or Bee’s Friend in here, and some Clarkia and of course the old Hollyhock that has been there for 3 or 4 years now. And the poppies of course. I have yet to make poppy seed cookies with the seeds but I’m saving them and replant them every year to great joy. They’re so beautiful.
And finally here’s a shot I took by sticking my camera up under the plant so I could see the underside of the flowers. They’re stars! You get a good sense of how they look from this vantage point. I’m hoping I can save some seeds of this one for next year, or maybe two years if it follows the way it’s grown and takes me two years to get a blooming plant. It’s all worth it and maybe next year my greenhouse heating cable will work right and I won’t lose all my seedlings like I did this year. Ah well, the vagaries of gardening, eh?
Smelling the flowers,
Steve
Posted by Nigel Boldero on August 10, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Hi- it’s probably Nicotiana sylvestris- see here for more info http://wp.me/p2XHES-2kC
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Posted by steven1111 on August 10, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Thank you Nigel. I was hoping someone would know what it was. I’m sure you’re correct judging by your post. It’s very informative and you’ve really described the Nicotianas well.
Cheers,
Steve
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Posted by Nigel Boldero on August 10, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Hi Steve- thanks, glad it was of interest!
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Posted by steven1111 on August 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm
🙂 Very much so…
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Posted by janeadamsart on August 10, 2014 at 6:45 pm
Love your wild flower patch, Steve.
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Posted by steven1111 on August 10, 2014 at 8:44 pm
Thank you Jane. I love your wild patches of color and form too! 🙂
Steve
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Posted by Cheryl-Lynn on August 12, 2014 at 10:06 pm
Oh my what a beautiful flower…it looks like a bell and underneath star…I love your wild flower garden, so nice.
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Posted by steven1111 on August 12, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Thanks for your kind words. I think it looks like a star too. Very cool, eh? The wild flowers are getting a bit ratty looking but still give us pleasure…
peace,
Steve
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Posted by kategresham on August 12, 2014 at 11:49 pm
It is Nicotiana, as someone has already said. Here in Australia it grows rampantly. a biggish shrub. The perfume is wonderful. On the other hand, I have just planted my first Japanese Maple for this garden- it was difficult to find a place- both providing some shade and protection but still able to be seen. This is a temperate zone, the maple will grow, I hope! but would enjoy a cooler climate. I love them! Garden’s too small for maples and other larger deciduous trees. I’m envious of those with more land, however…
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Posted by steven1111 on August 13, 2014 at 3:58 pm
I misspoke when I said I didn’t know what it was. I knew it was Nicotiana, just not the species. Now I know. It’s a beautiful flower and I can just imagine a big shrub of it. Wow! I wish you luck with your Japanese maple. Are you planting the straight species or a cultivar? I’d think the species would have the best chance of survival, but then it’s also the biggest growing one too. I’ve seen them at over 30 feet here in Seattle. They’re quite lovely and I hope you have good luck growing it. I’ll be interested to hear about your success in the future… I wish I had more land too. We only have 1/8 of an acre – a small city lot here. I can’t plant big trees and I miss that, as you do.
Thanks for visiting!
Steve
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Posted by woodlandgnome on August 13, 2014 at 12:03 am
What a fragrant photo shoot! You got the “Bees’ eye view.”
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Posted by steven1111 on August 13, 2014 at 4:00 pm
That’s a great comment. It is what the bees see I’d guess. I shot it blind just holding my camera under the flowers. It worked out well…
Steve
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Posted by woodlandgnome on August 15, 2014 at 10:33 pm
Indeed it did 😉
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Posted by steven1111 on August 16, 2014 at 5:54 pm
🙂
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