Armeria 'Alba'

Armeria 'Alba': Road Salt? White Pom-Poms Don't Care

Pure white pompoms on slender stems over a tight evergreen tuft, like a tiny cheer squad that never gets tired. 'Alba' loves sun, salt and dry spells. RAH RAH, ROCK GARDEN.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Armeria maritima 'Alba'
• Common Name: White Sea Thrift
• Height: 15–20 cm (6–8 in) in flower
• Spread: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Flowers: Pure white, rounded pompom heads on slender stems
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Narrow, grass-like, evergreen leaves in a dense tuft
• Features: Evergreen, salt tolerant, good for cutting and drying

Where to Plant: Use it to edge a sunny path, tuck it between flagstones or along a rock wall, or set it in a trough or container. It's a natural for gravel gardens and the strip by the driveway, since it handles winter road salt better than most perennials. Sharp drainage suits it best.

Companion Plants: Edge a dry, sunny bed with these white pompoms and fill in behind with pink and orange. Lavandula 'Ellagance Pink' adds fragrant light pink spikes at 30 to 35 cm from June to August. Gaillardia SpinTop® Mango brings golden-orange daisies at 20 to 30 cm from June to September. Gaura 'Monarch Pink' adds airy pink flowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Cheyenne Sky' stands behind at about 90 cm in bloom, its blades turning wine red by midsummer.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in lean, sandy or gritty soil that drains fast. Skip the compost and fertilizer. Rich, heavy or wet soil makes the centre of the clump rot out. If you garden on clay, raise the bed or work in plenty of grit. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. Snip off spent flower stems at the base to keep it tidy and encourage a few more blooms. Don't cut the foliage back in fall, because it's evergreen. If the clump opens up or dies out in the middle after a few years, divide it in spring and replant the healthy outer pieces.

History: Sea thrift, Armeria maritima, grows wild on coastal cliffs, salt marshes and mountain slopes across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere, especially northern Europe. Thrift has been a cottage and rock garden standby for generations, and 'Alba' is its classic white form.

Final Thoughts: Tuck it in a rock garden or along a salty walkway. Cut a few for a little vase. SPIRIT FINGERS, ACTIVATED.