Armeria

( arm - MEER - ee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Commonly referred to as Thrift, or Sea Pink, these joyful plants need full sun and little to moderate water. These perennial plants will attract butterflies to your garden, and form compact tufts of evergreen leaves and flowers in pink, rose, red, or white. Main blooming season is from spring to early summer, but deadheading can elongate the blooming period. They are slow to spread, but will eventually grow to form colonies. Thrift are great plants for edging walkways or borders and for use in rock gardens, and can also add color to mixed beds, borders and container plantings. Take care when planting these flowers in the landscape, as because they are able to absorb and bind heavy metals from soil, they are toxic to humans and pets if ingested.

Armeria Species and Varietals

The genus Armeria is a member of the plant family Plumbaginaceae and includes just under 25 species. The best growing zones for Armeria depend on the species. For more information, see the descriptions below. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

​Armeria alpina (Alpine Armeria, Mountain Thrift)
This species is native to France, Italy, Spain, and the Balkan Peninsula, where it grows in rocky or gravelly areas. The plant forms a basal rosette of about 25 dark green linear leaves and produces magenta-pink flowers from July through August.

Armeria berlengensis (Berlengas Sea Pink)
This species is native to Portugal, where it grows on rocky island sloped areas. Flowers bloom in April through May, and are small, pale, and pink. The species forms a low shrublet with green foliage that reaches up to 16 inches wide when mature, and is considered to be critically endangered in its native range.

Armeria juniperifolia (Armeria caespitosa) (Juniper-Leaved Thrift)
This species of Armeria grows best in zones 2b-9 and 14-24. Leaves are needle-shaped, and form low, compact rosettes from which rose-pink or white flowers sprout on 2-inch stems. Native to mountain ranges, this little bloomer is fussy about drainage, preferring gravel around the base instead of soil to ward off root and stem rot, especially in summertime. 'Bevan's Variety' is a choice garden cultivar.
Armeria maritima (Armeria vulgaris) (Sea Thrift, Common Thrift)
These flowers grow best in zones A2, A3, 1-9 and 13-24, and are native to Europe and North America. Mounds spread up to 1 foot across and white to rose-pink flowers bloom atop 6-10 inch stems. Can flower all year round in mild climates. Varieties are outlined below.
Armeria maritima azorica
Armeria maritima californica
​(California Seapink)
Armeria maritima elongata
​(Tall Thrift)
Armeria maritima sibirica (Siberian Sea Thrift)
'Bloodstone'
With rose-red flowers.
'Cotton Tail'
White bloomer. 
'Alba'
White flowering varietal.
'Splendens'
With rose-pink flowers.
'Rubrifolia'
Purple-red foliage and rosey-pink blossoms, blooms year-round.
'Vindictive'
​With bright blue-pink flowers.

Armeria pungens (Spiny Thrift)
This species is considered to be rare, and forms a small shrub about 30 inches tall. These plants grow in coastal locations in sand dunes and beaches. Flowers bloom from May through July. Leaves are pointed (hence the common name Spiny Thrift) and flowers are pink to light pink.

Armeria welwitschii
This perennial evergreen shrub produces flowers in white and light pink (sometimes purple), and blooms from February through May. This species is native to Portugal and enjoys growing in spots on coastlines in sand dunes and beaches. These plants are often cultivated in home gardens in rocky areas.

Caring for Armeria

Armeria prefer to be planted in a spot in the garden that receives full sun to light shade. Ideally, these plants should be receiving between 6 and 8 hours of sunlight per day for best foliage and flowering. They prefer soil to be lean (not too rich in nutrients) and be very well-draining with a gravelly consistency. Armeria appreciates a soil pH of between 4.0 and 10.0 (acidic, neutral, or alkaline). If local soils are not gravelly, it may be best to dedicate a specific bed in the landscape as a rock garden and amend the soil there, or simply grow Armeria in a container with its own specialized soil. Prune back foliage and flowers as needed to keep plants looking tidy, and divide plants every so often, either when they outgrow their space (if they are grown in a container) or they develop bald spots. For instructions on dividing plants, see the propagation section below. These plants need no fertilizer.

Propagation

Armeria plants can be propagated either by using harvested seeds or through division. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the division method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant, especially if seeds have been harvested from a hybrid cultivar. To propagate your Thrift, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Armeria by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. 
  2. Harvest your seeds. Armeria plants do not produce seed pods. Instead, each blossom bract will disperse one individual seed covered in a papery chaff once the flower petals have faded. Cut dried flowering heads off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to release the seeds, a process that can be helped along with some rough handling. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
  3. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Sprouting usually happens between 21 and 28 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  4. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
 
Propagating Armeria by Division
This type of propagation is relatively simple; you will need a clean shovel, mulch, fresh soil (any kind will do, though it does need to be well-draining), compost, and pots (12 inch pots will do, and these are only necessary if you will be saving divided plants for transporting elsewhere). Division is best done in spring or fall (after the plant has entered dormancy, but before it has begun its new spring growth), and needs to be done every four to five years regardless of whether you have the goal of propagating the plants for best performance if growing Armeria in pots. Armeria also has a tendency to develop dead areas in the center of clumps once plants have been in the ground for a few years. Divide plants to remove these bald spots, and replant the healthy divisions for a cleaner look. To propagate by division, follow these steps:
  1. Gather your materials. Using a shovel, dig up your existing plant. Start from the outside and work your way in to avoid damaging the roots. Once you have worked it up out of the ground, lay it out. Alternatively, you can simply lift up one side of the plant, work it out of the ground, and then sever it from the parent plant, leaving the parent plant where it is in the landscape and backfilling the hole left behind with soil.
  2. Separate your plant into segments, ensuring that each one has at least one thick root section and a good clump of above-ground growth.
  3. Prepare your pot(s) or new planting site(s) with amended, well-draining soil. You can either bring in new soil or simply amend your existing soil with compost to complete this task. Then, plant your divisions and water thoroughly. 
  4. Apply a thick layer of mulch over the new planting to protect it from cold weather as it acclimates to its new home. Then, enjoy watching it sprout in the following spring.
Armeria dried flower heads, where seeds are held.
Armeria seeds.

Problems and Pests

Generally pest and disease resistant, these flowers can have issues from time to time with the following:
  • Aphids
  • Spider Mites
  • Root Rot 
  • Crown Rot
​For information on these pests and diseases, including how to treat them, consult the following pages:
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Gallery

Here, Sea Thrift is planted on either side of a walkway, forming a low border of light pink blooms and green foliage.
Thrift does well in rock gardens.
Here, thrift is planted alongside Heuchera and Salvia.
Pink is a low-grower, and a great companion to plants such as Aubrieta, Stock, and Dianthus.
Sea Thrift provides pops of color in this bird bath bed, alongside Hosta, Viola, and Astrantia.
In this low creek bed landscape, Sea Thrift is planted amongst Juniper and various species of Aeonium, among others.

Videos

A review of Sea Thrift.
How to grow and care for Armeria plants.

Resources

How to Grow and Care for Sea Thrift (Armeria maratima)
Sea Thrift Plant: Tips on How to Grow Thrift Plant in the Garden
How to Plant and Grow Thrift
Armeria maratima (Sea Thrift)
Wikipedia: Armeria
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 169, Armeria
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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