Geum triflorum
prairie smoke

Characteristics

Descriptions

Light Requirements

sun, part-sun

Soil Moisture

dry, moist

Soil Description

neutral, average, loam, clay, sand

Height

10"-18"

Bloom Time

April, May, June, July

Bloom Color

red, purple, pink

Hardiness Zone

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

More Filters

colonizing, deer resistant, drought tolerant, ornamental foliage

Description

Though small in size, Geum triflorum is a striking species. The basal leaves are fern-like, sharply divided and hairy along their margins. Each flowering stem grows to a height of about 14", and is terminated by three ( hence the specific epithet triflorum), nodding, bell-shaped reddish-purple flowers by mid summer. These flowers will persist for one to two months. Once fertilized, they become erect and the real show begins as they transform into seed bearing clusters of long, feathery plumes. When the plants are clustered, these achenes create the effect of low to the ground pinkish smoke that persists for a couple of months. Though not truly evergreen, the leaves persist through winter, turning attractive shades of red and crimson.

Cultivation

This species is perfectly adapted to the dry conditions found in rock gardens. It can also be used effectively if planted in groups in a perennial bed. It should be given ample room, as it does not like to be overcrowded by taller-growing perennials. Spreading by rhizomes, plants can form dense colonies and create an effective ground cover. Wet and soggy winter conditions may cause the plants to die back. Very cold hardy: Zones 3-8

Additional Notes

A very rewarding species that, so far, has been underutilized.
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Pricing & Availability

Would you like your plants shipped later? You may choose to do so in the shopping cart.

Note: Early spring shipments might include plants that have not yet broken dormancy, or have not been vernalized and will be frost-tender. Please use your best judgment when selecting your preferred ship week.
Did you know? When plants are available from multiple growers, we list growers closest to your location first.

Why choose plants from the nearest grower? Choosing a the grower closest to you makes it more likely the plants are consistent with your ecoregion and better adapted to your location. In addition, shipping plants shorter distances typically uses fewer resources, something we can all get behind!

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Pricing & Availability

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You can also do so on any species page.

 

Izelplants
Please note, we are unable to ship to:

AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, LA, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY

Grouped product items
Pricing & Availability

Full Flats

Midwest Groundcovers , IL

Available:

10-count 4” pots, full tray (10 pots) *NEW*
$89.50
$8.95 per plant - Sold in full flats only

92 available

See all plants sold by Midwest Groundcovers.

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10-Count 4" Pots

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Size
Each pot is 4” in diameter by 3.5” deep. They are referred to as pints, although there are multiple that are described as such in the trade. These are on the larger size of this category, just shy of a trade quart.

Recommended Uses
4” pots are landscape-ready, and c

can also be used as starter plants to be potted up into gallon-size containers or larger. This container size accommodates plants with roots systems that tend to grow wide rather than putting down a deep tap root.

Pros
Well-established, mature root systems. Will provide a rapid visual impact in the garden.


Cons
Installing 4” pots creates more soil disturbance than smaller plants and plugs.

Maps, Wetland Status & More

MAP OF NATIVE RANGE

Recorded County Distribution: USDA data.

More Information

Native To

More Information
IA, IL, MI, MN, ND, NY, SD, WI, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY

Legal Status

ThreatenedMI, NY

Wetland Status

Arid WestFACU
Great PlainsFACU
MidwestFACU
Northcentral and NortheastFACU
Western Mountains, Valleys, and CoastFACU

 

MAP OF WETLAND DELINEATION REGIONS

Wetland Status regions

 
Northcentral and Northeast
 
Eastern Mountains and Piedmont
 
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain
 
Midwest
 
Great Plains
 
Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast
 
Arid West

Interpreting Wetland Status

Code

Status

Designation

Comment

OBL

Obligate Wetland

Hydrophyte

Almost always occur in wetlands

FACW

Facultative Wetland

Hydrophyte

Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands

FAC

Facultative

Hydrophyte

Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands

FACU

Facultative Upland

Nonhydrophyte

Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands

UPL

Obligate Upland

Nonhydrophyte

Almost never occur in wetlands

Classification

KingdomPlantaePlants
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants
SuperdivisionSpermatophytaSeed plants
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons
SubclassRosidae
OrderRosales
FamilyRosaceaeRose family
GenusGeumavens
SpeciesGeum triflorumprairie smoke

ADDITIONAL COMMON NAMES:

old man's beard, purple avens, long-plumed purple avens, torch flower, lion's beard

Plant Sizes

Sizes Sizes

Sizes info

Shipping & Planting

SHIPPING INFO:

Shipping is free on all plants orders!

Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.

 

Shipping plugs:

Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.

When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.

After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.

Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.

PLANTING INFO:

Planting plugs:

We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.

We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.

Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.