Prairie Smoke

Scientific name

Geum triflorum

Description

Prairie Smoke is a perennial wildflower species that typically grows about 0.5 m in height. This plant may also be known by the common names: Old Man’s Whisker or Three Flowered Avens. The leaves are green, pinnately divided, fern-like, and hairy. The flowers are reddish pink to purple coloured, nodding, globular, appear on stems, and bloom between April and June. These flowers produce unique and distinctive seeds, which have upright feathery tails and resemble a plume of smoke. The flowers are attractive to pollinator species, like bees and butterflies. This plant spreads well through rhizomes to form a groundcover.

Planting conditions

Prairie Smoke grows best in dry to normal conditions with full or partial sun exposure. It prefers well-drained sand, loam, or rock soil types. It is tolerant of drought but young plants should be watered occasionally during hot summers. It is intolerant of wet or overly moist soil and competition from taller plants nearby. This wildflower naturally occurs in dry meadows, prairies, sandy hills, and rocky shoreline slopes.

Details

• Plant height:
  • Max 1.5m
  • Max 2m
  • Max 3m
  • Any
• Moisture level:
  • Dry
  • Normal
  • Drought Tolerant
• Light conditions:
  • Full sun
  • Partial sun
• Soil type:
  • Sandy
  • Loamy
  • Rocky
• pH:
  • Normal
• Depth:
  • Wildflower
• Eco Zone:
  • 2a
  • 2b
  • 3a
  • 3b
  • 4a
  • 4b
  • 5a
  • 5b
• Plant type:
  • Wildflower
• Height:
  • 0.5 m
• Spread:
  • 0.5 m