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Pontefract Castle
Medieval herb garden blog 46: Thrift
Tuesday, November 18, 2025Week 46 volunteer update
The weather finally caught up with the calendar today. It was a clear, cold, windy morning. However, the soil was still too wet after all the rain.
After the flower count, Carole cleared the sales barrow for winter. She put all the plants back in to the “nursery” until Spring. The sales barrow is now adorned by a new banner.
Afterwards, Carole helped Caroline and Louis clear the leaves from the rosemary and the lavender – again!
The sales barrow and its shiny new banner
Plant of the week: Thrift (Armeria maritima)
The name 'armeria maritima' comes from 'armeria', a Latin name for the pink flower dianthus. 'Maritima' is Latin for 'of the sea'. The common name, thrift, is thought to come from its compact leaves that hold moisture. This makes it appear 'thrifty' in salty conditions.
Its common names are cliff rose, cushion pink, lady's pincushion, marsh daisy, sea gillyflower, sea grass and sea pink.
Thrift is native to Northern Europe. It is a clump-forming, evergreen perennial. It has compact cushions of dense, flattened, needle-like, dark green leaves. Although it prefers full sun, thrift can survive in any well-drained soil type and position. It can grow to a height and spread of up to 12 inches. It is relatively drought-resistant.
Thrift flowers in late spring to summer. It has long and erect stems bearing compact clusters of globular white, pink or red-purple flowerheads. These are up to an inch wide.
Thrift has a pleasant and subtle fragrance. It is often described as being “reminiscent of sea air with a hint of saltiness and floral sweetness”.
Thrift growing in the Medieval Herb Garden
Culinary uses of thrift
The leaves of thrift are edible when cooked. However, they are not used very often.
The leaves are sometimes used in slimming remedies.
Some people consider the roots to be edible too.
Folklore and other facts about thrift
People on the coast viewed thrift as a symbol of good fortune and resilience. It was seen as a 'Guardian of Sailors' that could survive in harsh conditions.
Thrift is known as 'tonna chladaich' in Gaelic. This means 'beach wave'. In Welsh, it is called 'clustog fair'. This means 'Mary's pillow'.
There is an old, unproven, belief that extracts of thrift can cure lead poisoning.
The primary pollinators of thrift include bees, including bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, Bombus lucorum, Bombus lapidarius) and honeybees (Apis mellifera). Butterflies, moths, flies and hoverflies also pollinate the plant, such as the marsh tiger hoverfly (Helophilus hybridus) and blue blowfly (Calliphora erythrocephala). Beetles, wasps, including social, solitary, and parasitoid species, and thrips also pollinate thrift.
Insects that feed on thrift include the larvae of Aristotelia brizella, Philedone gerningana, Celypha cespitana, and Lobesia littoralis. The annulet (Charissa obscurata), grey chi (Antitype chi), and feathered ranunculus (Polymixis lichenea) moths also eat it.
Medieval medicinal uses of thrift*
In places like the Orkney Islands and the Outer Hebrides, dried thrift flowers were used to treat hangovers and nervous disorders. The roots were boiled in milk and used in remedies to treat tuberculosis.
The dried flower has also been used for its antibiotic properties. However, it is very astringent (causing the tightening of tissue). Therefore, it can cause skin irritation when used externally.
*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.
Medieval herb garden blogs
Browse all blogs by our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle. Discover each 'Plant of the Week' as chosen throughout 2025.