Alphabetical Plant Listing

Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)

Prairie Smoke, Grandfather's Beard, Lion's Beard, Old Man's Whiskers, Purple Avens, Torch Flower, Long-Plumed Purple Avens


A very distinctive prairie plant, Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) features purple to reddish-pink, nodding, bowl-shaped flowers in late spring which are followed by interesting seed heads with elongated styles, 2 in. long (5 cm), forming upright, silvery pink tails. Resembling plumes of smoke, hovering close to the ground, they are ready to be caught by the wind or a passing animal to be dispersed across the landscape. The flowers rise enthusiastically above a foliage of fern-like, deeply-divided, blue-green leaves, that remains attractive during the entire season. Sometimes evergreen, the foliage features a lovely fall coloration as its turns deep red in fall. This rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial forms slowly-spreading clumps and can be naturalized to form a lovely ground cover. 

  • Prairie Smoke grows 6-18 in. tall (15-45 cm) and 6-12 in. wide (15-30 cm). 
  • Winner of the GreatPlants award, which is a joint effort between the Nebraska Nursery, Landscape Association and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. 
  • Prefers full sun and enjoys dry to medium moisturewell-drained soils. Tolerates light shade and is drought tolerant once established. 
  • Excellent choice for borders, gravel and rock gardens, prairies and meadows and cottage gardens
  • Hardy and low maintenance, Prairie Smoke is deer resistant, but attracts butterflies.
  • No serious pest or disease issues. May be affected by rot if soils are poorly drained.
  • Native to North America from northern Canada to California and east to New York.

Not sure which Geum - Avens to pick?
Compare All Geum - Avens

Buy Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)

Requirements

Hardiness 3 – 8
Heat Zones 1 – 10
Climate Zones 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A1, A2, A3
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Geum - Avens
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Fall
Height 6" – 2' (15cm – 60cm)
Spread 6" – 1' (15cm – 30cm)
Spacing 6" – 12" (15cm – 30cm)
Water Needs Low
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Plant of Merit, Showy
Native Plants United States, California, Midwest, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Northeast, New York, Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico
Tolerance Deer, Drought, Dry Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds and Borders, Ground Covers
Garden Styles Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

Buy Plants

Great Plant Combination Ideas with Geum - Avens


123RF Stock Photo

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 3 – 8
Heat Zones 1 – 10
Climate Zones 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A1, A2, A3
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Geum - Avens
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Fall
Height 6" – 2' (15cm – 60cm)
Spread 6" – 1' (15cm – 30cm)
Spacing 6" – 12" (15cm – 30cm)
Water Needs Low
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Plant of Merit, Showy
Native Plants United States, California, Midwest, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Northeast, New York, Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico
Tolerance Deer, Drought, Dry Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds and Borders, Ground Covers
Garden Styles Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

Great Plant Combination Ideas with Geum - Avens

Plant Calculator

How many Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) do I need for my garden?

%
ft
ft

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)

Find your Hardiness Zone

Find your Climate Zone

Find your Heat Zone

Join Gardenia.net

Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

Join now and start creating your dream garden!

Create a New Collection

Optional. For your reference.


Move Selected Plants to a Different Collection


Delete Collection

This field is required.

Rename Collection

This field is required.