Growing Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco): A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Nicotiana is an ornamental relative of cultivated tobacco, grown for trumpet-shaped flowers with a fragrance that gets noticeably stronger in the evening, making it a good choice near a porch or patio where people sit after dark.
Starting it
Transplanting is the method to use: start seed indoors 5 to 6 weeks before your last frost, pressing it into the growing medium or leaving it uncovered, since light helps it germinate. Germination takes 7 to 14 days at 72-78°F. Pinch seedlings before transplanting to encourage a bushier, more branched plant. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
A sticky plant with a real caution
Nicotiana’s stems leave a sticky residue on hands and tools, which is a minor nuisance but worth knowing before handling a lot of it at once. More seriously, the plant contains real nicotine, so it’s worth keeping away from anywhere pets or small children are likely to graze.
Harvest for cutting
Cut stems once about half the flowers on a stem have opened, which gives a vase life of 5 to 7 days as the rest continue to open.
Nicotiana has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for nicotiana for how it’s tracked. In the Garden Designer, it’s worth placing somewhere people spend evening time, since the fragrance is the main reason to grow it.
Source: Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco): Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 2-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1.5-3 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Straight-species nicotiana (Nicotiana alata): Johnny's Selected Seeds sells this species in a range of colors and heights bred for garden and cut-flower use; the growing requirements are consistent across them, so the species itself covers what matters for care. (source)
- 'Starlight Dancer' nicotiana (best for: evening fragrance display): Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this as having elegant nodding, ivory blooms on tall, sturdy stems, a strong choice for the classic evening-fragrance nicotiana look. (source)
- 'Bronze Queen' nicotiana (best for: unusual color): Johnny's Selected Seeds lists this as a unique chocolate-colored selection, a distinct option from the typical white or pink nicotiana shades. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy nicotiana seeds
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing nicotiana (flowering tobacco)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
%3A%20An%20ornamental%20tobacco%20relative%20grown%20for%20trumpet-shaped%20flowers%20that%20turn%20up%20their%20fragrance%20in%20the%20evening%2C%20when%20most%20cutting-garden%20flowers%20have%20gone%20quiet.)
Pin this for later
Growing Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco): An ornamental tobacco relative grown for trumpet-shaped flowers that turn up their fragrance in the evening, when most cutting-garden flowers have gone quiet.
Save to Pinterest