Nicotiana Starlight Dancer

Slender wiry stems at 60 to 90cm carrying clusters of pure white five-pointed stars that face upwards rather than out. The stems are flexible enough that the whole plant sways in the smallest evening breeze, which is where the name comes from.

By day the flowers look half-shut and faintly disappointing, closing to protect their nectar from the heat. As the sun drops they open, the white starts to glow in the failing light, and the jasmine scent arrives. You can nearly set a clock by it. It flowers July through October, and hawk moths find it.

It is a hungry plant. Rich, moist, fertile ground with compost dug in gives you the full performance; lean soil gives you a thin one. That is the opposite of what cosmos wants, so do not treat them the same. The seed is dust-fine and needs light, so surface-sow and do not cover.

All parts are toxic if eaten, and the sticky foliage can irritate sensitive skin. Wear gloves.