Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana)
Nicotiana alata. SOLANACEAE.
Planting and Growing Flowering Tobacco
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow flowering tobacco in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of flowering tobacco
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for flowering tobacco
- Season of bloom and planting time for flowering tobacco
- When, how deep, and where to plant flowering tobacco
- How to plant flowering tobacco
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of flowering tobacco
- Landscape and container uses of flowering tobacco
- Comments about flowering tobacco and its features
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Growing Flowering Tobacco
Many cultivars of erect, branching, open perennial herbs, 3–4 ft. (90–120 cm) tall. Alternate, green, broadly lance-shaped leaves, 4–6 in. (10–15 cm) long, forming a circular, radiating base.
Common cultivars include Nicotiana alata ‘Grandiflora’, ‘Havana Apple Blossom’, ‘Jasmine Tobacco’, and ‘Starship Series’.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many showy, green, pink, red, white, tubular, 5-petaled, often fragrant flowers, to 3 in. (75 mm) wide, flaring into star-shaped trumpets, in branching clusters, in early summer–early autumn.
Best Climates
Plant as tender annual, zones 2–8; ground hardy, zones 9–10. Self-seeding.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Moderate. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun to partial shade, 1–2 ft. (30–60 cm) apart, after frost hazard has passed. Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before final frost for early blooms; transplant when frost hazard has passed.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize monthly. Stake tall cultivars. Propagate by seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for beds, borders, containers in cottage, heritage, shade, woodland gardens. Pest and disease resistant.
Warning:
Foliage and sap of Nicotiana alata are very toxic with potential hazard for fatal consequences if eaten. Avoid planting in areas frequented by pets or children.