Aztec Tobacco is a historic heirloom variety with deep cultural roots, grown for its striking summer-to-fall blooms and ornamental appeal. This compact plant reaches 60 inches tall with a 30-inch spread, thriving in full sun across hardiness zones 2 through 11. From seed to bloom takes 70 to 84 days, rewarding patient gardeners with weeks of flowers that attract pollinators while naturally resisting deer.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
60in H x 30in W
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Moderate
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Deer won't touch it, yet hummingbirds and bees adore the blooms. The compact, bushy habit means you can squeeze multiple plants into tight spaces, and its tolerance across zones 2 to 11 means gardeners from cold climates to warm regions can all grow it successfully. The relatively quick 70 to 84 days from seed to flower means you'll be enjoying blooms well into autumn.
Aztec Tobacco is primarily grown as an ornamental flowering plant, valued for its attractive summer and fall blooms that brighten gardens and attract pollinators. The flowers provide abundant nectar for hummingbirds and beneficial insects throughout the growing season.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date. Keep soil at 60 to 75°F and keep it consistently moist using a humidity dome or by sprinkling with vermiculite to retain moisture. Seeds will sprout in 10 to 21 days.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date has passed. Space plants 2 inches apart in prepared soil.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date.
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“Aztec Tobacco carries its name from its origins in Mesoamerican cultivation, where Nicotiana rustica was used ceremonially and medicinally long before European contact. This heirloom variety represents centuries of selection and adaptation by Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Its preservation and continued cultivation by seed savers honors that deep historical lineage and the plant's significance in pre-Columbian cultures.”