Flowering tobacco (nicotiana)

About Flowering tobacco (nicotiana)

Flowering tobacco is a South American relative of smoking tobacco grown for its tubular, star-faced flowers, and the tall kinds pour out a sweet, jasmine-like scent in the evening (NC State, Wisconsin Extension). Jasmine tobacco and woodland tobacco grow 3-5 ft and draw night-flying sphinx moths, while compact bedding hybrids about 2 ft tall open in the daytime but have little or no scent (NC State). Every part is poisonous, with nicotine-type alkaloids, so wear gloves and keep it away from children and pets.

Perennial only in zones 10-11 (NC State, Wisconsin Extension); grown as a summer annual everywhere else. Woodland tobacco reseeds and NC State records it growing wild in Arizona, California and New York, though Wisconsin Extension says volunteers there are easy to pull.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

• Start seeds indoors: 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost
• Set out plants: up to 2 weeks after the last frost

Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost (Wisconsin Extension; Iowa State says 8, Purdue 7). Press the tiny seed onto the surface without covering it, since it needs light; it sprouts in about 10-14 days at 70-75 F (Iowa State). Plant out after the last frost. Purdue lists direct sowing in May, but the dust-fine seed is hard to handle outdoors. No sourced count from sowing to first bloom.

Soil

Moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter; work in plenty of compost and keep it evenly moist, since it handles drought poorly (NC State, Wisconsin Extension).

Work plenty of compost or other organic matter into the bed (Wisconsin Extension).

Feeding

• Through the summer, if your soil isn't fertile: general garden fertilizer. Wisconsin Extension says to feed regularly when the soil is poor but gives no rate, so follow the label and a soil test.

Don't plant it next to tomatoes, peppers, potatoes or eggplant: tobacco mosaic virus and other diseases can spread among them (NC State).

Harvest

Blooms from June until frost. Deadhead spent clusters for more flowers and fewer seedlings, and pinch the tip of woodland tobacco's first flower spike to make it branch (Wisconsin Extension). Woodland tobacco clusters can be cut for fresh arrangements, but Purdue says jasmine tobacco isn't much use as a cut flower.

Varieties (5)

NC State and Wisconsin Extension name only these 5 cultivars; we found no trustworthy source for the popular bedding hybrid series.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Thrips, Whiteflies, Leafhoppers, Tomato hornworm

Diseases and problems

Gray mold, Tobacco mosaic virus, Southern bacterial wilt

In the kitchen

Safety: Highly poisonous (NC State: high severity). Every part holds nicotine and related alkaloids; eating it can cause belly pain, a racing heart, high blood pressure, tremors and, in severe cases, trouble breathing. The sticky leaf hairs can cause a rash, so wear gloves. If any is swallowed, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

Pets: The ASPCA doesn't list these species by name, but it lists tobacco (Nicotiana glauca, tree tobacco) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses: nicotine causes over-excitement, then depression, vomiting, poor coordination, paralysis and possibly death. NC State lists woodland tobacco as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.