Succeeds in an ordinary garden soil but prefers a moisture retentive not too fertile soil in sun or part shade. Repays generous treatment. Somewhat tender in Britain, it is apt to be cut back in severe winters and should be given a position in a warm sunny corner. It probably tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits.

The plant is used as a flavoring for tea.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually free and easy. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have reached sufficient size. If not, overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Chiefly ruderale. Gardens, bluffs, ditches, weed-infested and slightly saline places, pastures and wormwood steppes in irrigated areas.