Ornamental · Solanaceae
Nicotiana
Nicotiana alata
Grow it for the night-scented flowers that fill the evening garden with sweetness all summer.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
55–75 days
Overview
Nicotiana, the plant most gardeners call flowering tobacco, is a fast-growing garden annual in the nightshade family, a relative of the tomato and pepper you may already grow. Its magic comes not at noon but at dusk, when the long tubular flowers open and release a soft, jasmine-like sweetness. Set it near where you like to sit on a warm evening, and it will thank you by scenting the air once the sun goes down.
It grows tall and upright, reaching 3 to 5 feet (91 to 152 cm) in the heirloom types, with loose clusters of white, lime-green, or colored trumpets floating above broad sticky leaves. In the warmest zones it can live on as a tender perennial, yet nearly everyone happily grows it as an annual, sowing fresh each spring. Better still, it often reseeds itself and returns without any effort from you.
For all its easygoing nature, flowering tobacco does come with one honest warning. Every part of it holds nicotine and related alkaloids, which makes the whole plant toxic to people, pets, and grazing animals. Enjoy it fully with your nose and your eyes, and simply keep it away from anyone's mouth.
Care
The short version: give it full sun or a touch of afternoon shade, keep rich soil steadily moist, feed once a month through the season, and snip off the spent flowers so more keep coming.
Light
Give nicotiana full sun and you will see the sturdiest plants and the most flowers, so aim for a bright, open spot. It happily takes partial shade too, and a little afternoon shade is a real kindness where summers run hot, since the plant fades quickly under baking sun.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist, offering a drink once the top begins to dry, which usually works out to every 3 to 7 days. It has little patience for drought and will wilt and stall in a dry stretch, so try not to let it bake out between waterings.
Soil
Settle it into organically rich, well-drained soil that stays moist without turning soggy. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 suits it nicely, and a generous helping of compost gives the roots exactly what they are looking for.
Temperature
Flowering tobacco is content across a wide range, roughly 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C). It is tender, so frost brings it to an end, and it tends to sulk a little once the peak of summer heat arrives, which is perfectly normal.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is all it asks for, so there is no number to chase here. What truly counts is steady soil moisture and good airflow moving around those broad, sticky leaves.
Feeding
Feed monthly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer meant for flowering annuals. That gentle, regular boost keeps a fast grower like this one sending up fresh buds instead of tiring out midway.
Pruning
Deadhead spent flowers to keep the new ones arriving, and pinch young plants so they branch out and fill in bushy. If a plant grows leggy or flags in midsummer heat, don't hesitate to cut it back hard, since it will often bounce right back.
Size & spacing
Plants stand 3 to 5 feet (91 to 152 cm) tall and spread 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) across, so give each one that much room. That breathing space lets air move freely and gives the tall stems the space they need to stand proud.
When to plant
Nicotiana is a frost-tender annual, so a little timing goes a long way. Start the seed indoors in late winter, wait to set the plants out until the last frost has gone and the soil has warmed, and you will be rewarded with blooms from early summer right up to the first frost of fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost; seed needs light and should be surface sown
- Plant: After all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed in late spring
- Harvest: Blooms from early summer (June) until first fall frost; fragrant tubular flowers open at night
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 10–11
Temperature: down to -1°C
Troubleshooting
Most bumps in the road with flowering tobacco turn up on the leaves, whether from a virus, chewing insects, or the heat, and catching them early usually means an easy fix. Take a calm look at what is happening, match it to the notes below, and step in while it still does the most good.
Leaves turn mottled and mosaic-patterned and refuse to grow on
If the foliage shows a tobacco mosaic virus pattern, don't blame yourself, since it often travels in from nearby nightshade vegetables or on hands that just touched them. Sadly there is no cure, so the kindest thing is to lift and destroy any plant that has it. Give your hands and tools a good wash, and set future plantings a safe distance from tomatoes and peppers.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected plants
- Wash hands and disinfect tools after handling
- Avoid planting near tomatoes, peppers and other Solanaceae
Chewed holes appearing across the leaves and blooms
The good news is that ragged holes almost always trace back to beetles and other chewing insects, which get busiest once the weather warms. When you notice them, simply pick them off by hand and you will keep ahead of the damage. Save a labeled insecticide for the rare times feeding gets truly heavy.
Fix:
- Handpick beetles
- Use an appropriate labeled insecticide or insecticidal control if infestation is heavy
Plants wilting and fading as the summer heat builds
Nicotiana simply does not love drought and intense summer heat, so a droop in dry soil or fierce afternoon sun is normal and nothing to panic over. Keep the ground evenly moist and tuck a layer of mulch around the base to hold that moisture in. Where southern summers run hot, a spot with a little afternoon shade will carry the plant through beautifully.
Fix:
- Keep soil consistently moist
- Provide afternoon shade in hot southern climates
- Mulch to conserve soil moisture
Sticky new growth crowded with tiny clustered insects
Those little soft-bodied clusters on the buds and leaf undersides are only aphids, and the shiny film they leave is nothing more than honeydew. A firm blast of water usually sends most of them packing, so start there. Should a few keep returning, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil will settle the rest without any fuss.
Fix:
- Wash aphids off with a strong spray of water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil if needed
Toxicity
This is a plant to keep gently out of reach. Every part of flowering tobacco holds nicotine and related alkaloids, and eating any of it can poison cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, birds, livestock, and people alike. Drooling, vomiting, and tremors are the usual signs, with real danger to the heart and breathing if a lot goes down, so give it a home well away from pets, grazing animals, and small children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Severe
A curious cat that tastes even a little of the plant may go jittery at first and then sag into a slump, with drooling, vomiting, and a wobbly walk. Larger amounts can bring tremors, a racing heart, and weakness, and in the hardest cases a collapse, so a vet call is the safe move.
Dogs Severe
Dogs love to gnaw the leaves and stems, and the nicotine acts quickly once they do. Keep an eye out for drooling, vomiting, an unsteady gait, and tremors, which can build toward a pounding heart, weakness, and even paralysis if a good deal is swallowed.
Horses Severe
A horse that grazes on the plant may get agitated and then turn dull and weak. Vomiting, stumbling, and trembling muscles can follow, and a heavy mouthful is genuinely dangerous, so fence it off well before curiosity strikes.
Rabbits Toxic
The nicotine woven through the plant is not safe for rabbits at all. Even a nibble of leaf can leave one drooling, off its food, and shaky, so it is best to keep flowering tobacco entirely out of their reach.
Livestock Severe
Cattle, sheep, and goats poisoned by the nicotine and anabasine grow weak and trembly with a staggering walk, and the worst cases slide into respiratory failure. Take special care with pregnant animals, since the alkaloids can twist growing limbs into crooked-calf deformities.
Birds Toxic
The alkaloids packed into every part of the plant reach birds too. A bird that pecks at the foliage or seed can turn weak, lose its footing, and struggle for breath, so it pays to keep flock and pet birds well clear of it.
People Caution
No part of flowering tobacco belongs on a plate, and swallowing the leaves, flowers, or seed hands over a real dose of nicotine. Nausea, vomiting, and drooling are likely, with tremors and worrying effects on the heart and breathing if more goes down, so keep inquisitive children happily out of range.
Keep all plant parts away from pets, children, and grazing animals; wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Flowering tobacco comes in a handful of lovely strains, from towering night-scented heirlooms to neat day-blooming hybrids, and there is a good chance of finding one of these near you.
Lime Green
You will spot this one by its cheerful chartreuse to yellow-green blooms, a shade florists reach for again and again in their arrangements.
Grandiflora
A tall old-fashioned heirloom whose deeply fragrant white flowers wait until dark to open.
Nicki Series
A friendly compact hybrid of about 1 to 2 feet, offering flowers in many colors that stay cheerfully open right through the day.
How to propagate
Nicotiana is grown almost entirely from seed, and it is wonderfully generous about it, so often dropping enough of its own to return the following year.
SeedModerate
Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or direct sow after frost; surface sow because seed needs light to germinate · Germination in about 1 to 2 weeks, with blooming plants in roughly 2 to 3 months from sowing
Growing nicotiana from seed is genuinely forgiving, so you can start with confidence. Sow indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, or drop the seed straight into warm ground once frost has passed, and just rest it on the surface rather than burying it, because it needs light to wake up. Little seedlings usually show in a week or two and reach flowering size in roughly 2 to 3 months, and a happy plant will often self-sow to greet you again next year.
Myths
Flowering tobacco is a harmless ornamental because it is not the smoking tobacco plant.
It really is a true Nicotiana, and every part of it carries nicotine and related alkaloids. Eating any of it can poison people, pets, and livestock, so give these lovely flowers the same gentle caution you would offer any toxic plant.
Nicotiana flowers are fragrant and showy all day long.
The tubular flowers hold their perfume back for the evening, opening wide and scenting the garden after dark. Each bloom lasts only a single night, but take heart, the plant keeps offering up fresh ones all season.