About Thrift Plants

Thrift-y Facts

• With tufts of evergreen grassy foliage and spherical heads of flowers in white, pink or red, thrifts grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones ranging from 4 through 9. They vary in size from the 2- to 4-inch tall plants of the low-growing Pyrenees thrift (Armeria juniperifolia, USDA zones 4 through 8) to the 18- to 24-inch heights of the Formosa hybrids (Armeria x formosa, USDA zones 4 through 9).

Thrift-y Sites

• Feel free to relegate thrifts to the area of your garden with the poorest and sandiest soil, as the plants prefer such conditions. They should be spaced according to their ultimate spread, which varies from 6 inches for Pyrenees thrift to 10 inches for common thrift (Armeria maritima, USDA zones 4 through 8) to 12 inches for plantain thrift (Armeria alliacea, USDA zones 4 through 9.) The plants require full sun in the north, but prefer afternoon shade in the south.

Thrift-y Care

• You may need to water thrifts about once a week if the weather is dry, but they shouldn’t require irrigation otherwise. Feed them with bone meal in early spring each year, using 1 cup for every 10 square feet of garden bed and scratching it into the soil. Don’t give the plants any other fertilizer, as it can encourage foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Thrifts seldom suffer from pests or disease, but may rot from the center outward in overly wet or humid conditions or after they have become overcrowded. To remedy the problem, prune the plants back in spring before you dig them up. After dividing them, cut out the decayed portions and replant the remaining pieces 8 to 12 inches apart.

Thrift-y Sowing

• Sow thrift seeds in early spring about 10 weeks before you wish to transplant the seedlings into your garden. First, drop seeds into a container and pour hot water over them. Allow them to remain in the water for six hours before draining them. After filling starter pots with seed-starting mix, scatter the still-damp seeds over the surface and barely cover them with the mix. Cap the pots with plastic wrap to keep the mix moist and place where temperatures remain around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, the seeds will begin to sprout in two to three weeks, though the germination period can vary from one to four weeks. They should bloom their first year, flowering about 12 weeks after the seed was sown.