I grow the Jasmine tobacco from seed every year,and it is usually in flower before it gets planted out(late may),and flowers all summer and fall.Are you direct sowing your seeds?If so,that may be the problem.Yes,the fragrance is wonderful.

I grow Nicotiana Sylvestris every year from seed with no problems. Not blooming til July and the fragrance is like an Easter lily, but alas, only at night.

tj

Try winter-sowing it. This is what I'm going to try this year. It is a half-hardy annual, so for my zone I will be probably safe sowing the seeds in late March.

Oh dear, I just ordered Nicotiana seeds from Thompson & Morgan. I never tried them from seeds before, always bought plants but thought I would save some money. The Dominion catalogue says to start them indoors in March and the T& M catalogue rates them as "Easy" for both Starting and Going on. Sorry to hear you had problems - it is so frustrating to spend a lot of time (and love!) on our "babies" and then have them fail. Maybe we can compare progress this year with each other, as we try our luck! I'm in Central Ontario, just a short distance from Georgian Bay...I THINK it's Zone 4A, not quite sure.

Sweetpea, I winter sowed the nicotina. I think you will have better luck since you are sowing indoors. Germination rates were incredible, so I would agree with the easy rating. They didn't require any more care than the other plants in that bed. As fall approached, I could see them outside blooming for a week or two, but it was cold, windy, and wet. Mine were the ones that were supposed to get to 5 feet.

Good luck

Try scuffing in the seed in late April. I've grown them from seed, both indoors under lights and wintersown them. They like more than a half day of sun really, but the soil has to be moisture retentive. I've had them periodically reseed and grow just as tall as the first year!
I also have had bad seed in the past..it just didn't perform as my first time growing it.
So try again in a different spot. Yes, the scent is divine!