Prefers a sandy soil but it is not fussy so long as the ground is not water-logged. Requires a leafy soil in a cool position in the shade of deciduous trees. Thrives in sun or shade according to another report. Plants grow freely in Britain if they are given a suitable site, and have even succeeded in an open position in a dry gravelly soil. Tolerates a pH range from 5 to 7, or perhaps a bit higher. Dormant plants are hardy to at least -20°c. A very ornamental plant, but the flowers are very short-lived. It can succeed in grass. Plants are generally free of disease. Polymorphic. There is at least one named form with double flowers.

None known

Seed - can be sown in the spring or late summer in an outdoor seedbed. We would advise sowing in pots in a cold frame, preferably as soon as the seed is ripe, otherwise in late winter. Stratification can improve germination rates. The seed produces a root after the first stratification but then requires a warm period and another cold one before a shoot is produced. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in pots. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late summer as they die down. Division in August after the leaves die down, or in early spring. The plant has brittle roots and so should be handled carefully. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots in late spring in a frame.

Rich soils in open broad-leaved woodland and on shaded slopes.