Nicotiana

Despite its tropical look, nicotiana is an easy-to-grow tender perennial that's tolerant of light frosts. In fact, it often keeps blooming until a hard frost, providing an unexpected beauty in fall. Sometimes called flowering tobacco, nicotiana has lovely tubular to trumpet-shaped flowers, often white, but also in shades of pink, lime and red. Somewhat subdued in daytime, at dusk the flowers flare into enormous, five-pointed stars, emitting a strong, spicy-sweet fragrance.

Nicotiana Alata

Nicotiana alata, somtimes called jasmine tobacco, is an old-fashioned plant about 2 feet tall. It bears sprays of pure-white flowers with rich, exotic perfume on arching stems. The plants, hardy in all zones, form basal rosettes of downy leaves that are a bit sticky to the touch.