Sea Thrift

If you were to take a boat along the towering ocean cliffs of Cornwall during the summertime, you'd witness carpets of small pink and white flowers growing on the salty rock faces, in what appear to uninhabitable locations. Those are called wild Sea Thrift, known for being as sweet and dainty as a china cup, yet hardy. . . and seemingly as strong as a cement block.

We are pleased to offer an urbanized version of these wildflowers called Modern Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima). These flowers are perfect for American gardens, large or small. The plants pop up every year in little tufts of bright green. In the springtime after the leaves have formed, the plant grows spikes of small globular flowers that invite you to bend down and examine them.

Provided that you situate these plants carefully in well-drained soil, they will give you countless repeat years of summer garden pleasure. These flowers actually thrive in poor, rocky soil that is well-drained. Water them enough just to get them established, and then keep them dry and well-drained as they grow.

Thrift is a remarkably versatile plant. You can plant them in almost any sort of well-drained pots, containers or troughs. Plant them en masse as a replacement for grass, to have a bloom-filled yard. They spread slowly, so if you want them for groundcover, you'll need to plant quite a lot of them to ensure adequate coverage. They also do quite well nestled among rocks and along dry stream beds. You can even situate them to spill out of broken pottery for a natural effect.

These plants also make a tidy edger along the front of your garden bed. Perfect for small inner-city gardens or to jazz up the front of your perennials border. If you remove the spent flowers - a process called deadheading - these hardy plants will reward you with continuous blooms all summer long.

You'll want to add these compact, low-growing little beauties to your garden this year, so order yours today!