Plant Of The Month: Oct. 2000, Nicotiana

The ornamental members of this genus are commonly known as flowering tobaccos or simply nicotianas. Some 67 species of annuals, biennials, perennials and shrubs belong here, including the commercial crop tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Native to tropical regions in the Americas as well as Australia, they bear undivided leaves, often covered with sticky hairs and clusters of flowers with narrow, tubular bases and flaring, flat- to cup-shaped faces from summer to frost. Many nicotianas have flowers that open only in late afternoon or early evening and are fragrant at night.

How To Grow
Select a site with full sun or partial shade and rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil. A site with dappled afternoon shade is beneficial in areas with hot summers. Sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last spring frost date at 70 to 75 degrees F. Germination takes two to three weeks. Or sow outdoors after the last frost date. Either way, just press the tiny seeds into the soil surface, as light is required for germination. Water during dry weather. Deadhead to keep plants neat looking, and encourage new flowers to form. Add nicotianas to mixed plantings, and site fragrant types close to sitting areas where you can enjoy them after dark. The flowers attract moths and hummingbirds. Plants self-sow.

N. alata
n. ah-LAH-tah. Flowering Tobacco (pictured above and at right)
This short-lived, 1½- to 5-foot tender perennial hardy in Zones 10 and 11, bears ovate to spoon-shaped laves and 4-inch-long flowers. The species bears very fragrant, greenish white or yellowish flowers that open at night on 4- to 5-foot plants. Cultivars are usually 1½ to 2 feet tall and bear flowers in shades of pink, red, white and chartreuse. They remain open in the daytime but usually are not fragrant. Nicki Series plants bear fragrant flowers in a range of colors on 1½-foot plants. Warm-weather annual.

N. langsdorfii
n. langs-DOR-fee-eye. Flowering Tobacco (pictured at left)
A 5-foot-tall annual with large ovate leaves and airy clusters of small, 2-inch-long, green flowers with tubular bases and bell-like faces. Warm-weather annual.

N. x sanderae
n. x SAND-er-eye. Flowering Tobacco
A tender, 2-foot-tall perennial with rounded, wavy-edged leaves and loose panicles of trumpet-shaped, 2-inch-wide flowers in shades of red, pink, purple-pink and white. Heat-resistant Domino Series plants are 1 to 1½ feet tall. Warm-weather annual.

N. sylvestris
n. syl-VES-tris. Flowering Tobacco (pictured at right)
A 3- to 5-foot annual or short-lived perennial, hardy in Zones 10 to 11, with a rosette of large, rounded leaves up to 3 feet long. Bears clusters of fragrant, white, 3½-inch-long trumpets. Warm-weather annual.

For the Plant Of The Month index click here.

Ellis is also the author of "Taylor's Guide to Growing North America's Favorite Plants: A detailed, how-to-grow guide to selecting, planting, and caring for the best classic plants." (Houghton Mifflin, 1998, softcover). Country Living magazine called this comprehensive reference "The 'must-have' gardening book of the year."