Succeeds in most soils, preferring a sunny position. Prefers a fertile well-drained soil. Tolerates heavy clay. Requires a deep well-drained soil. Established plants tolerate drought. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. The flowers are a good source of food for bees. Many named forms have been selected for their ornamental value. The plants tend to be short-lived perennials but they can be propagated by means of root cuttings.

Flowers - raw. An excellent and decorative addition to the salad bowl, or used as a garnish. The tender young leaves and young flowering shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Seed - sow spring in pots of sandy soil. An overnight drop in temperature helps germination. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 21°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in early spring. Root cuttings in autumn or early winter. Late winter is best.

Sides of arable fields, waste places, roadsides and steppes on stony hills.