Grow flowering tobacco in full sun or light afternoon shade on soil that stays moist and still drains. Flowering tobacco is Nicotiana, also sold as nicotiana or tobacco plant.
Give it full sun or light afternoon shade, and keep the soil moist
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Full sun, or light afternoon shade where summers run hot | Do not hide it on a dark north wall and expect a long bloom |
| Soil | Moist loam that still drains after rain | Do not plant it in a hole that stays wet, and do not let the bed go bone-dry |
| Water | Water at the soil when the top inch dries | Do not leave the roots in standing water |
| Heat | Afternoon shade in a hot climate, so the trumpets last | Do not bake it against a west wall with dry soil |
| Deer | Deer often leave this plant | Do not count on it if browse pressure is high and other food is scarce |
flowering tobacco wants full sun or part sun and soil that stays evenly moist after you water, then still drains. A week of dry soil stalls bloom, and a hole that stays wet after rain is the usual reason the roots rot. [1] In heat, give it light afternoon shade so the trumpets do not scorch. Lime Green, the shop plant here, stays about one to three feet and carries chartreuse trumpets; it is a bedding annual, not a dry-land shrub. [2] Deer often skip it, but hungry animals will browse almost anything. Set a transplant on Planting Flowering Tobacco. Start seed only if you have weeks for a tray — see Growing Flowering Tobacco from Seed. Cut a stem only if about half the flowers are open — see Harvesting Flowering Tobacco.
How much sun does flowering tobacco need?
Give it full sun, or light afternoon shade where summers run hot. A dark wall will not hold bloom.
How wet does it need to stay?
Keep the soil evenly moist, and water at the soil when the top inch dries. Do not leave the roots in standing water, and do not let the bed go bone-dry in heat.
Will deer eat it?
Deer often leave it. If browse pressure is high and other food is scarce, they may still nibble young plants.
Grow it in a draining pot if you want it by a patio
A patio pot works when it has a drainage hole and the mix stays moist. Stand it in sun or light afternoon shade, near seating if you want the trumpets close. A dim indoor room will not make a summer border plant.
- Choose a pot with a drainage hole. Fill it with a mix that stays moist and still drains.
- Set one plant so the crown sits at the mix line, not buried. Keep the mix evenly moist. Empty the saucer if water stands in it.
- Water more often than a bed, because a pot dries faster in sun. Do not shift it from pot to pot through the season.
Can I grow flowering tobacco in a pot?
Yes, if you use a pot with a drainage hole and stand it in sun. Keep the mix evenly moist.
Deadhead spent clusters if you want more flowers
Cut spent flower clusters once they fade if you want the plant to keep blooming. Leave a few clusters if you want seed for next year, because this annual often self-sows when seed ripens on the stem. [3] Do not treat deadheading as a winter prune. After frost, pull the plant.
- Snap or snip a spent cluster back to a leaf once the trumpets fade.
- Keep doing that through summer if you want a longer show.
- Stop in late summer if you want seed. The capsules hold dust-fine seed that can sprout next spring.
Should I deadhead it?
Yes, if you want more flowers. Leave a few clusters if you want the plant to self-sow.
Not smoking tobacco — and not a petunia
Smoking tobacco is Nicotiana tabacum, grown for large leaves that are harvested and cured. Flowering tobacco is an ornamental annual grown for tubular flowers. A shop tag that only says tobacco plant is not enough. All parts contain nicotine, so keep pets from chewing leaves. [4]
Petunia is a related nightshade with larger faces on a shorter plant. Flowering tobacco has longer tubes, larger leaves, and a taller habit. See How to Grow Petunias.
Is this the same as smoking tobacco?
No. Smoking tobacco is Nicotiana tabacum, grown for leaves. Flowering tobacco is grown for flowers.
Is this a petunia?
No. Petunia has larger faces on a shorter plant. Flowering tobacco has longer tubes and bigger leaves.
If bloom stalls in midsummer heat, water at the soil and give it afternoon shade — a dry west wall is the usual reason the trumpets fade.
FAQ
Can I grow it as a houseplant?
No. A sunny window is only a short hold for a seedling tray. It wants outdoor sun to bloom.
Does Lime Green come back next year?
Treat it as an annual. After a hard frost, pull the plant and sow or plant again in spring. If you leave seed, volunteers may show.
Is woodland tobacco the same plant?
Woodland tobacco is another nicotiana with tall white evening trumpets. Lime Green is the shorter chartreuse shop plant. Both want sun and moist soil that drains.
Will it self-sow?
It often does if you stop deadheading and let seed ripen. Pull extras in spring if you do not want them.
Is it safe around pets?
All parts contain nicotine. Keep pets from chewing leaves or flowers.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] NC State Extension -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nicotiana-alata/ - [2] Johnny's Selected Seeds -
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/flowers/nicotiana/nicotiana-key-growing-information.html - [3] Wisconsin Horticulture -
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/flowering-tobacco-nicotiana-sylvestris/ - [4] Useful Tropical Plants -
https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Nicotiana+alata
This note is part of Nicotiana Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors