If you spend some of your time on a sea-side visit on something other than concrete or sand you are likely to see Thrift (more descriptively known as Sea Pink) somewhere nearby. Using its other name, Thrift was on the reverse side of the old threepenny bits. Thrift, a native perennial, needs mineral-rich soil, but this isn't just at the sea-side - you can also find Thrift inland in mountainous areas where there can be copper, zinc and lead in the soil.

Flower: Little rounded heads of tiny five-petalled pink flowers above papery brown bracts, the flower colour ranging from very pale to deep pink.
Leaves: All basal and slender, fleshy and grass-like
Habitat: Cliffs, salt marshes, sandy areas, some mountains, and also as a garden plant
Height to about  40 cm
Typically flowering: June - August