Prefers an acid soil, requiring a well-drained gritty soil in a sunny or shady position. Dislikes heavy clay. Prefers a good supply of water at its roots but succeeds in dry shade and tolerates drought when it is established. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. A very ornamental plant.

The leaves are made into a tea.

Spores - can be sown at any time of the year in a greenhouse. Surface sow on a sterilised compost and keep moist, possibly by placing the pot in a plastic bag. Germinates in 1 - 3 months at 20°c. Pot up small clumps of the plants when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a shady part of the greenhouse until large enough to plant out. Division in spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Rocks and screes in Arctic Finland. Shaded cliffs and talus, often of limestone at elevations of 50 -1800 metres in northern N. America.