Flowering Tobacco
Nicotiana
Flowering Tobacco blooms from June through September.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Flowering Tobacco
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 10–11. Expect it to reach about 2 ft tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Flowering Tobacco
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Flowering Tobacco into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 10 in January.
Comes in 5 varieties across 3 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Flowering Tobacco
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Poisonous: every part holds nicotine, a neurotoxin. Toxic to dogs, cats, horses; keep it away from children, pets, and grazing animals. NC State rates the poison severity High. per ASPCA and NC State
Worth knowing
The same hawkmoth is both hero and villain: it pollinates the night-open flowers in flight like a hummingbird, and its caterpillar is the tobacco hornworm that chews the leaves. per Wisconsin and PubMed Central
Fragrance depends on type
Species and heirloom types (N. alata, N. sylvestris) perfume the evening; many compact bedding hybrids were bred for daytime color and give up the night scent. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Keep from the tomato family
Do not plant it near tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, or eggplant: these nightshade relatives can share and spread tobacco mosaic virus. Watch for aphids and the hand-pickable tobacco hornworm. per NC State
A night pollinator plant
Its long, fragrant, night-open tubes are built for nocturnal hawkmoths that hover and feed in flight like hummingbirds. It is a night specialist, not a daytime bee magnet. per Wisconsin
Self-seeds, but manageable
It self-seeds readily from many tiny seeds, but volunteers are easy to spot and pull. Deadheading the spent flower clusters cuts down on self-sowing. per Wisconsin
Site fragrant types by paths
The evening scent only pays off up close, so plant the fragrant species types beside a patio, doorway, or path you use after dark. Scentless dwarf hybrids can go anywhere. per NC State
What pairs well with Flowering Tobacco
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Perennial Sunflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Aster
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Rock Cress
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
Azalea
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Rosemary
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Flowering Crabapple
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; a soft color beside the pink.
Lilac
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; taller at 9.8 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Viburnum
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; taller at 6.6 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
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