Ornamental tobacco, *Nicotiana*: sowing, planting, cultivation
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Ornamental tobacco in a nutshell
- Ornamental tobacco is an annual plant that is very attractive for its original flowers, as well as for its fragrance during warm summer evenings
- It offers an exotic and generous flowering throughout the beautiful season
- Its flowering is continuous from June until the first frosts
- Giant or dwarf, it is easy to succeed in full sun, in any good humus-bearing soil, kept cool during dry weather
- Easy to grow and to sow, it requires little maintenance and adds an original touch to borders, flower beds, bouquets, and pots
A word from our expert
Still too little present in our gardens, ornamental tobacco or Nicotiana deserves to be known for the originality of its flowers, the brightness and dynamism it brings to all gardens, in mixed borders, borders or flower pots.
It is an essential in wild gardens, scent gardens, or ‘cottage gardens’. Tender, this perennial is often treated as an annual.
Ornamental tobacco forms, in one summer, an opulent fragrant bush with green foliage crowned with trumpet-shaped flowers, in a very wide range of colours, sometimes quite exotic! Unpretentious and easy to live with, these beautiful annual flowers bloom from June and for 5 months, without interruption. How can one get tired of them?
Flowers of Nicotiana or ornamental tobacco.
Lime green ornamental tobacco (‘Lime green’), yellow tobacco flowers, or pink tobacco (‘Marshmallow’), its flowers open in the early evening to diffuse their jasmine-like fragrance all night and close in the early morning.
The flowers of large ornamental tobaccos possess anti-mosquito properties, naturally repelling these insects.
Ornamental tobacco is a plant accessible to all gardeners, easy to plant or sow in sunlight, in fertile soil and always moist, in borders, beds or rockeries.
From large tobaccos that grow up to 1.5 m in height to dwarf hybrid varieties, discover our collection of buckets as well as our unique selection of ornamental tobacco seeds.
Description and Botany
Botanical data
- Latin name Nicotiana
- Family Solanaceae
- Common name Tobacco, Ornamental Tobacco
- Flowering from May-June until autumn
- Height 0.20 to 1.80 m
- Exposure Sun, partial shade
- Soil type All, well-drained
- Hardiness frost-sensitive at -5°C
Le Ornamental Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), a herbaceous plant, annual or perennial, belonging to the Solanaceae family, is part of the genus Nicotiana just like common tobacco. Native to South and North America, Ornamental Tobacco grows on mountain slopes and in the bottoms of humid valleys. Semi-hardy or frost-sensitive, it is most often grown as an annual in our climates.
The genus comprises 67 species, including winged tobacco (Nicotiana affinis or alata), which is the most widespread species, although it has been supplanted in recent years by its hybrid, Hybrid Ornamental Tobacco (Nicotiana x sanderae), with numerous cultivars. The ‘Domino’ series includes dwarf cultivars, reaching 30 cm in height and 40 cm in width, which are very floriferous.
Nicotiana sylvestris is the giant tobacco with white flowers, woodland tobacco, or forest tobacco, whose flowers are perched at a height of 2 m!
We also encounter its cousins, the Ornamental Tobacco suaveolens, also known as Nicotiana suaveolens and N. noctiflora, whose flowers emit a heady jasmine fragrance, and Nicotina langsdorffii, or Green Tobacco with long apple-green flowers, and Nicotiana mutabilis, which bears bright pink flowers that fade to white (‘Marshmallow’) and forms large bushes over 1.20 meters high.
Ornamental Tobacco forms bushy clumps, compact or sometimes upright (N. sylvestris) and very branched. The heights of the plant are highly variable. The Nicotiana can form, in the space of a season, a charming bush ranging from 0.20 m to 2 meters for the largest species and varieties like Nicotiana sylvestris.
Nicotiana suaveolens – botanical illustration
In mild climates, Nicotiana can become perennial. It self-seeds in the garden.
From a simple clump of leaves arranged in rosettes that can reach 40 cm in width, stems with numerous branches rise, on which the foliage develops. The alternate leaves, elongated or ovate, pointed, are all villous and covered with a sticky down. The entire plant is, in fact, slightly sticky. Ranging from 4 to 35 cm in length, they are light green, medium green, bluish green to dark green.
Ornamental Tobacco is sought after for the uniqueness of its flowering and the sweet fragrances it exudes on warm summer evenings. From June to October, the bushy vegetation is adorned with a profusion of trumpets gathered in somewhat loose racemes or light panicles on a tall floral stem. Above the foliage, the flowers, sometimes drooping, are trumpet-shaped with long tubes, featuring star-shaped corollas made up of 5 lobes that are spread out, more or less notched and fused. They are sometimes highlighted by a white eye.
These flowers, measuring 3 to 12 cm, resembling petunias, are often very fragrant, especially in the evening. They only bloom at dusk to diffuse their honeyed or jasmine scent all night and close at dawn with the appearance of the sun. Some cultivars remain open during the day in a partially shaded exposure.
They display very varied colours ranging from ivory white, light yellow-green, acid green, to amethyst purple, bright pink, and brilliant red.
Melliferous and fragrant, the flowering of Ornamental Tobacco is rich in nectar and attracts butterflies and bees to varying degrees depending on the nicotine content in the flowers.
At the end of flowering, the long calyx transforms into a capsule containing tiny and numerous seeds.
This frost-sensitive perennial is not very hardy, but its rapid growth allows it to be cultivated as an annual in non-burning sun or partial shade. Ornamental Tobacco thrives in rich, always moist, well-drained soil that does not dry out and is sheltered from the wind.
Several colours: Nicotiana alata x sanderae ‘Crimson Bedder’, Nicotiana mutabilis ‘Marshmallow’, Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotiana glauca, Nicotiana ‘Cuba Red Bright’.
It will be magnificent in a mixed border, at the edges or back of flower beds, in summer borders, in a scent garden, or in large pots on a patio.
Main species and varieties
The genus Nicotiana comprises 67 species; most of the tobacco currently cultivated are hybrids (Nicotiana x sanderae) of medium size (20 to 70 cm in height) that come in bright and varied colours: red, pink, mauve, white, and yellow. Over time, they have dethroned highly fragrant species such as Nicotiana sylvestris, Giant Tobacco or Nicotiana affinis or alata, Winged Tobacco.
More compact and more floriferous, some cultivars now remain open during the day, but are not very fragrant. The choice of an ornamental tobacco depends on the colour of the flowering and the size of the plant.
Nicotiana sylvestris - Ornamental tobacco
- Flowering time June to October
- Height at maturity 1,50 m
Tobacco plant Lime Green Seeds - Nicotiana alata
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 70 cm
Nicotiana langsdorffii
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1 m
Nicotiana mutabilis Marshmallow
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 1,30 m
Nicotiana Perfume Red - Ornamental tobacco
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 40 cm
Tobacco plant Perfume Deep Purple F1 Hybrid Seeds - Nicotiana x sanderae
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 50 cm
Nicotiana Perfume White - Ornamental tobacco
- Flowering time July to November
- Height at maturity 40 cm
Nicotiana suaveolens
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 80 cm
Tobacco plant Eau De Cologne Mixed F1 Hybrid Seeds - Nicotiana x sanderae
- Flowering time August to November
- Height at maturity 50 cm
Discover other Tobacco seeds
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Young plantation
Where to Plant Ornamental Tobacco
The Ornamental Tobacco is a perennial but semi-hardy or frost-sensitive plant, it cannot withstand temperatures below 5°C and perishes with the first frosts. This is why it is grown in our regions as an annual plant in open ground or planted in pots to be brought indoors, in a sunny conservatory, protected from frost for the winter. You can take it back outside during the beautiful season. In a mild climate, it is not uncommon to see it persist and self-seed spontaneously throughout the garden.
It thrives in full sun and needs warmth to bloom well. In the south of our country, it will fear overly scorching sun that can damage its foliage and will accept partial shade protected from the harsh midday rays.
It requires a deep, rich organic soil that is well-drained, allowing it to bloom beautifully. The soil must remain moist throughout the growing season, but it does not tolerate waterlogging.
Plant it in a sheltered spot from the wind that could flatten the taller clumps, which are best staked.
With a rapid growth rate, some species of Ornamental Tobacco can reach nearly 2 m in height in just one summer: give them plenty of space and grow the larger ornamental tobaccos at the back of the border.
Its flowering from summer until the first frosts makes it an excellent choice for quickly filling large pots with flowers: place the shorter varieties on the terrace near pathways.
When to Plant Ornamental Tobacco
Like all annuals, the Ornamental Tobacco is planted in the ground, in April-May, as soon as the risk of frost has passed and the soil is well warmed.
Fine seeds of Nicotiana glauca.
Planting Nicotiana in the Garden
Like many annual plants, ornamental tobacco is planted outdoors after the last frosts, between April and May. Plant 4 to 5 Nicotiana plants per m² for the smaller varieties. Space the plants 0.20 to 1 m apart, depending on the height of the chosen variety (20 cm for dwarf varieties and about 80 cm for the taller ones).
If the soil in your garden is too poor, enrich it with well-rotted manure or compost.
- Soak the plug plants for a few minutes to moisten the root balls
- Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball
- Place the root ball in the centre of the hole, with the collar level with the soil
- Insert stakes at the base of the taller varieties
- Bring the soil back to encase the roots
- Firm down with your foot and water
How to Plant Ornamental Tobacco in Pots?
It is an excellent plant for window boxes and deep containers, ensuring proper watering and fertilisation. Dwarf cultivars are well-suited for pot or window box cultivation, provided the base has drainage holes to promote drainage.
- Soak the plug plants before planting
- At the bottom of the pot, spread a layer of clay pebbles about 4 cm thick
- Plant the plug plants every 15 cm in a mixture of potting soil and well-rotted compost
- Firm down well
- Water without saturating the substrate
- Do not allow standing water in the saucers under the pots
Beautiful window box: Pennisetum, tobaccos, verbena, and bacopa.
Read also
Planting annualsSow Ornamental Tobacco
When to Sow Ornamental Tobacco
Sow ornamental tobacco seeds in March-April under cover in pots or trays, transplant in May. You can also sow in June directly in the ground when the soil is warm.
Early Sowing Under Heated Cover
Sown early in spring, around March-April, ornamental tobacco seeds will yield a beautiful vigorous and early flowering from the beginning of summer.
- In March-April, in a seed tray (for small tobacco varieties), buckets or trays (for large varieties) filled with moist potting soil, sow the ornamental tobacco seeds on the surface
- As tobacco seeds are very fine, do not cover them.
- Place your sowing in a light, warm location between 18 and 23°C
- Keep the substrate moist with a spray but not waterlogged until the seedlings emerge: germination usually takes 7 to 21 days
- When the seedlings are sufficiently developed (2-3 pairs of leaves), transplant them into 7 cm pots or trays
- Place under cover for a few weeks to harden off the plants
Setting Up in the Garden
- Set up in the garden in May after all risk of frost has passed
- Add a good amount of compost to each planting hole
- Water regularly for a few weeks
Direct Sowing in the Ground
You can also sow ornamental tobacco seeds directly in place, in well-tilled soil enriched with compost and well-warmed. Your ornamental tobaccos can flower as early as August.
Maintenance, pruning and care of Ornamental Tobacco
The ornamental tobacco requires little care as long as the soil remains sufficiently nourishing and moist.
Watering should be regular: water regularly but without excess. Never let the soil dry out. Keep the soil moist, especially during prolonged dry spells or high temperatures; mulch can be helpful.
Support tall plants exposed to wind as soon as they are planted in the ground.
Remove faded flowers as they appear to extend the flowering.
In pots
The ornamental tobaccos grown in pots are demanding. Throughout the growth period, apply flowering plant fertiliser every 15 days. Do not allow standing water in the saucers of pots or planters.
Pests and potential diseases
During rainy summers, Ornamental Tobacco can be quite sensitive to downy mildew, which causes yellow then brown spots on the leaves. For a large-scale garden, this plant may lack reliability; you can reduce the risk by spacing the young plants widely to ensure good ventilation. Be vigilant: make sure to avoid wetting the leaves during watering, and do not let water accumulate in the saucers under the pots to limit the onset of diseases. Spray a horsetail-based solution as soon as you notice its appearance, and as a preventive measure, apply Bordeaux mixture monthly to the foliage.
Aphids can invade young Nicotiana plants without being fatal, but they can delay growth; spray a soapy water solution.
The young shoots of Ornamental Tobacco are endangered by slugs and snails at the start of the growing season: protect the foliage with fern manure or barriers of ash or eggshells.
Associate
With its bright or pastel colours, Ornamental Tobacco is one of those original annual plants that are very easy to combine with other summer flowers, in borders, containers, or floral arrangements.
Having become too rare in our gardens, the elegant and delightfully unrestrained flowering of ornamental tobacco is truly magnificent in slightly free plantings or positioned at the front of a mixed flower bed.
A combination idea: Nicotiana mutabilis ‘Marshmallow’, Stipa capillata, Rudbeckia pallida.
Modern cultivars offer an infinite array of shades ranging from salmon pink to crimson or violet, allowing for infinitely variable compositions, contrasting, in gradients or monochromatic.
Tobaccos with fiery colours (‘Cuba Red Bright’) happily find their place in lush plantings for joyful mixes of bright hues alongside tuberous nasturtiums, Achillea filipendulina, the radiant corollas of Rudbeckias, the bright red pom-poms of dahlias, the spikes of Kniphofias, crocosmias, or annual poppies.
A vibrant combination idea: Nicotiana alata, Dahlia coccinea, Salvia splendens ‘Vanhouttei’, Cotinus coggygria, Canna ‘Phasion’.
In a soft and romantic composition, they can be combined with Dame’s Rocket, Rhynchospora Colorata, pelargoniums, or large panicled phlox. A clump of cosmos and clouds of Ammi will transform any sunny nook into a country fairytale.
For a chic and subtle marriage of mauve, purple, and violet flowers that are most surprising, plant ornamental tobaccos in amethyst colour (‘Deep Purple F1’) at the forefront of Buenos Aires verbena, ageratum, agastache, or Sauges horminum or Salvia splendens with decorative bracts. Edge with a carpet of annual verbena and sea cineraria.
Play with elegant harmonies of white/sour yellow and texture contrasts by uniting the lime green bells of Nicotiana langsdorffii or Nicotiana ‘Lime Green’ with the white tubular corollas of N. sylvestris, adding contrast with a Eryngium giganteum, or a soft Achillea mollis.
The feathery silhouette of grasses like Pennisetum or the graphic form of beautiful late-flowering perennials like Japanese Anemones will bring softness and lightness to counterbalance the somewhat lush habit of ornamental tobacco.
In a scented garden, it will be the perfect companion to Four O’Clock Flower (Mirabilis jalapa), Datura meteloides, Snapdragons, Cleomes, or even Evening Stock.
In pots, it will accompany other annuals like Lobelias or Petunias.
Useful resources
- Anticipate summer and discover our unique collections of fragrant annual flowers, climbing, for sunny spots or for cutting
- Tips and tricks to successfully sow your ornamental tobacco seeds directly in the ground, the simplest way possible!
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