I grew ‘Whisper Mix’ nicotianas again this year. This time I used them to fill the back row of an entire border. It was a grand idea.
‘Whisper Mix’ is supposed to grow 3 to 4 feet tall, but some of my plants are creeping toward 5 feet. They tower nicely over tall zinnias, but are still see-through enough that I can still enjoy the view of the annuals growing in the other beds behind them.
The flowers open white and change from pink to rose. I was a little worried about their performance in the obnoxious heat we’ve been having, but they’ve been performing like champs. Sometimes in the heat of the day the flowers shrink up a little, but by evening they rally.
‘Whisper Mix’ plants ascend from a giant rosette, and the leaves are huge (I caused those white splotches on the leaves with a foliar fertilizer spray):
‘Whisper Mix’ also thrives in partial shade. The plants may need a stake to help them stand up straight, but other than that they perform just as beautifully as the plants growing in full sun. And just like last summer, the flowers are a big hit with hummingbirds.