Ornamental Tobacco
Bronze Queen Nicotiana is a showstopping ornamental annual with chocolate-colored petals that seem to glow against its lime green foliage and stems. This rare cultivar grows 24 to 36 inches tall in a compact, airy form, creating delicate sprays of bronzy blooms that attract hummingbirds and pollinators throughout the season. Hardy in zones 10 to 11 and reaching harvest around 70 to 80 days, it flourishes in partial shade with moderate water and thrives in beds, borders, and cottage gardens. The flowers are excellent for cutting, though be aware that all parts of this nicotiana are poisonous.
Partial Shade
Moderate
10-11
36in H x ?in W
Perennial
High
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Chocolate-colored petals unfurl against striking lime green stems and foliage, creating a color combination rarely seen in ornamental gardens. The flowers open in an airy, open spray rather than a dense cluster, giving arrangements and garden beds an ethereal quality. It's a long-season bloomer that attracts hummingbirds and pollinators, rewarding patient gardeners with multiple stem cuts throughout the growing season.
Bronze Queen Nicotiana shines as a specimen plant in beds and borders, where its height and unique coloring command attention toward the middle or back of garden designs. The flowers excel as cut stems for floral arrangements, with stems that clean easily and produce multiple harvests over the season. Its pollinator-attracting qualities and long blooming period also make it valuable in cottage gardens where supporting bees and hummingbirds matters.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date. Sow into 72-cell flats, gently pressing seeds into growing media or covering them lightly, as light aids germination. Maintain soil temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable sprouting. Harden off seedlings before transplanting outdoors after the last frost date has passed.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date, spacing plants 12 inches apart. Bronze Queen Nicotiana is frost-tender, so wait until all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Transplanting is recommended over direct sowing for better results.
Direct sowing is possible 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, though transplanting is recommended for stronger, more floriferous plants.
Cut flower stems when approximately half the flowers on each stem are open. Stems are easy to clean, though they may leave a sticky residue on your hands and harvest tools, so you may want to wear gloves. Harvest regularly to encourage continued bloom production throughout the season.
Pinch out the center stem of young plants shortly after transplanting to encourage branching and create bushier specimens with more flowering stems.
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