Armeria maritima 'In the Red'

About this cultivar:

Armeria maritima 'In the Red' is worth getting your bank account....in the red ... for. An unusual 'red' leaved form of thrift, it is a compact, low-growing plant which forms a dense, mounded tuft of stiff, linear, grass-like, dark purple-black leaves. Red-pink flowers bloom in mid spring in globular clusters atop slender, naked stalks rising well above the foliage. Sporadic additional flowering often occur throughout the summer. Armeria maritima are great plants even if you are not by the sea!

• Position: Full sun, partial shade
• Soil: Almost any soil that is reasonably well drained- grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Flowers: April, May, June
• Other features: Bees and Butterflies
• Hardiness: H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!
• Habit: Bushy, mat forming
• Foliage: Evergreen
• Height: 15 to 25 cm  (0.5 - 1 ft)
• Spread: 15 to 25 cm  (0.5- 1 ft)
• Time to full growth: 5 to 10 years
• Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
• Colour: Green, red, pink, purple
• Goes well with: Paths, pots, front of borders, rockeries, walls, the seaside!

About this genus:

Armeria is a genus of flowering plants in the Plumbaginaceae (leadwort) family. The genus name is Latinized from the old French name armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus. The common names include "lady's cushion", "thrift", or "sea pink".

The genus counts over a hundred species, mostly native to the Mediterranean, although Armeria maritima is an exception, being distributed along the coasts of the Northern Hemisphere, including Great Britain and Ireland.

Almost all species are mat-forming evergreen or semi-evergreen perennials with upward facing clover-like flowers on upright stiff stems appearing in spring above dark green, needle-like foliage. Phew, long sentence I know…. In any case the flowers on the stems still look great when they die - they dry out and give a bit of structure rather than rot away.

Many types are popular with gardeners as rockery plants. We find many of them will also grow in soil which, you guessed it, isn’t too extreme in the wet or dry department – thus most garden borders. Apart from that they are pretty tough – especially he maritima type which easily grow in the wild by the sea. A favourite for people with dogs and paths – can be trod on…