Requires a deep moist well-drained light or medium lime-free loam in sun or semi-shade but plants produce less fruit when grown in the shade. Prefers a position in full sun. Grows well in shade. Plants at Kew were growing very well in a shady position on a NE slope in 1990. Grows well in a sandy seashore garden. This species is closely related to A. uva-ursi. Plants resent root disturbance and should be placed in their final positions as soon as possible.

Seed - ground into a powder and added to soups etc. The seed is very small and would be difficult to separate from the fruit. It would be easier to dry the whole fruit, grind this into a powder and use it in soups etc. Fruit. The fruit can be eaten fresh or dried and stored for later use. It can also be pulverised and made into a drink.

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak dried seed in boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds or burn some straw on top of them and then stratify at 2 - 5°c for 2 months. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of side shoots of the current season's growth, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August to December in a frame. Takes one year. Division in early spring. Take care because the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and keep them in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing away actively. Layering in spring.

Montane areas.