Thrift is a compact evergreen perennial that forms low clumps topped with globes of bright pink flowers on long stems. It thrives in sun and sharp drainage, and suits rock gardens and xeriscapes.
Family
Plumbaginaceae (Plumbagin family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately while establishing, then sparingly; let the soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained sandy or gritty soil; tolerates poor, saline, or rocky ground.
Temperature
5–25 °C; hardy to about -30 °C.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Subarctic & Temp. Northern Hemisphere
Climate
temperate
About
Armeria maritima, the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers. In some cases purple, white or red flowers also occur. It is a popular garden flower and has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. The Latin specific epithet maritima means pertaining to the sea or coastal.
How to grow it
The cultivar 'Vindictive' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Where it grows
Armeria maritima sensu lato has a circumpolar distribution and can be found in the wild in coastal areas across the Northern Hemisphere. It can grow in dry, sandy, saline conditions such as coastal cliffs, grassland and salt marshes, salted roadsides and inland on mountain rocks. It is common in British salt marshes, where it flowers April to October.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Armeria maritima by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.