Prairie smoke in a grassland setting. May 19, 2018, Washington County, Minnesota Photo © birdchick, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC) iNaturalist observation
Hennepin County Master Gardener Plant Sale 2025
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Time: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Location: Hopkins Pavilion – 11000 Excelsior Blvd, Hopkins, MN 55343
Consider planting more native plants as well as plants that are more drought tolerant or can thrive in dry soil as a way to ensure your garden can thrive for years to come. Climate change has already moved the Twin Cities area in Minnesota from zone 4 to zone 5, and experts anticipate more changes in the future.
We will be offering many native and drought-tolerant plants at the Hennepin County Master Gardener Plant Sale this year including Prairie Smoke!
Prairie smoke is a native perennial wildflower that grows six to sixteen inches tall.
It is one of the first prairie flowers to bloom in spring, making it an indicator of the start of Minnesota’s growing season. From April to June, it has blossoms with three red, purple, or brown flowers atop a hairy stem.
Its leaves grow close to the ground and can be four to eight inches long. The leaves are hairy and divided into seven or more wedge-shaped leaflets.
After some new leaves unfold, magenta flower buds appear. April 30, 2022 Sherburne Country, Minnesota Photo © jhpederson, some rights reserved by (CC-BY-NC) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/113839808
At the top of each thin stem, three flowers nod over. Most of the plant parts are hairy, and its bright green leaves have a fern-like appearance. May 20,022, St. Louis County, Minnesota Photo © thenumbern9ne, some rights reserved by (CC-BY-NC) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117930962
Prairie smoke’s fruit is a dry seed attached to a feathery plume. Clusters of these plumes resemble smoke blowing in the wind.
After flowers are pollinated, they change from nodding to upright. Each wispy [sic] plume has a fruit at its base. May 27, 2017, Polk County, Minnesota Photo © mabowerman, some rights reserved by (CC-BY-NC) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6389799
Prairie Smoke Image courtesy of Claire Shaw
Learn more about Prairie Smoke here: https://seasonwatch.umn.edu/prairie-smoke