PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Plumbaginaceae FAMILY

Armeria maritima

Armeria maritima

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

Contact with the plant can cause irritation or dermatitis in sensitive individuals[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Perennial
GrowthSlow

Succeeds in most well-drained soils including clay and poor sands[2]. Foliage mounds tend to rot in the centre if grown in moist, fertile soils or in heavy clay[3]. Prefers a well-drained sandy soil with added leaf mould and a sunny position[4, 5, 6]. Grows well in saline soils[3]. Requires an acid soil according to one report[7] whilst others say that it dislikes acid soils. Plants are very wind-tolerant and succeed in maritime gardens[8]. Established plants are drought tolerant[9]. Succeeds when grown at the top of a retaining wall or a cavity wall[10]. The plant tolerates light treading[2]. It forms a slowly expanding clump and makes a good edging plant[5]. A good butterfly plant[7, 11]. The flower is a symbol of sympathy, used at funerals[12].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 8 hours in warm water and then sow in pots of sandy soil in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place in 2 - 3 weeks at 15°c[6]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring or after flowering[5]. Fairly easy, large divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions whilst it is probably best to pot up smaller divisions and to grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Armeria+maritima>

Pollinators

Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera

References

  1. [1]The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism — Stuart. M. (Editor) · Orbis Publishing. London. · 1979 · ISBN 0-85613-067-2 ↩︎Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  6. [6]Growing from Seed. Volume 2. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1988 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
  7. [7]Making a Wildlife Garden. — Baines. C. ↩︎Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
  8. [8]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  9. [9]The Dry Garden. — Chatto. B. · Dent · 1982 · ISBN 0460045512 ↩︎A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
  10. [10]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  11. [11]Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. — Carter D. · Pan · 1982 · ISBN 0-330-26642-x ↩︎An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
  12. [12]From Agar to Zenery. — Freethy. R. · The Crowood Press · 1985 · ISBN 0-946284-51-2 ↩︎Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
  13. [13]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  14. [14]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  15. [15]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.